Angels Show Up in the Strangest of Places
by history00
Summary: THIS STORY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. THERE IS AN ALTERNATE/REWRITTEN VERSION ON MY PROFILE.
1. Harder to Breathe

**I have the tendency**

**of getting very physical.**

**So watch your step**

**'cause if I do you'll need a miracle.**

**xxxx**

"_Edward_," Bella pressed, placing her hands on her slender hips. Edward had broken some plans that she had with Alice today, claiming that Alice had broken them. Alice never broke plans, and Bella was determined to get to the bottom of it.

The bronze haired vampire looked up at his human counterpart, actually quite annoyed with her persistence; at the same time, though, he admired her for it. He knew that she cared for his family, and he loved that; the human fit perfectly into his family. At this moment, though, he wished she didn't; he honestly didn't know what to tell her.

"Bella, may I ask you a question?"

"My rejection to a question has never stopped you before," Bella snarked back before she could help herself. Edward's head snapped to her, an amused crooked smile on his lips.

"Touche. Well, I was wondering if you'd be all right if Alice and Jasper moved away."

Bella blinked softly, looking away from the gorgeous golden eyes that burned into hers, and into the woods outside the window, above the bronze hair that she knew well. "I would be sad, of course, because Alice is my friend, but if that's their decision, then who am I to stand in their way? I'm not their mother, nor their father, nor their superior."

Edward stared at the brunette human, his gold eyes burning with curiosity; Bella always renewed his faith in human kind. She was such an insightful and intelligent person, though the rest of the world may not be as such. "You're remarkable," Edward said, getting up and kissing the top of her head.

Bella laughed softly, making Edward throw her a crooked grin. "If they do leave, though, soon, can we go see them?"

Edward hesitated, not having expected that question to come from her. _Shit,_ he thought. _I suppose it's time to face the music._ With a soft groan, Edward threw Bella gently over his back. "We'll go now."

The slender brunette human, to say at the least, was surprised by this sudden movement and idea. Before, he'd been so reluctant to go see this family. _I wonder what changed his mind, _Bella thought with a light smile. Edward took off and Bella gently tucked her face into his back, shielding herself from the whipping wind.

When the pair of them arrived at the Cullen house, Bella gently jumped from his back and landed with surprising grace on the balls of her feet; for a moment, Edward just stared, dumbfounded, but soon found he should follow when Bella had made her entrance to the house. Within a millisecond, he was at her side again; Edward and Bella stood in front of Carlisle and Esme, much, as Bella recalled, like the first time Bella met the pair officially.

Bella was the first to speak. "Is everything all right?"

Carlisle and Edward exchanged a meaningful glance before Carlisle turned his large, wise golden eyes to Bella. Without flinching or backing away, Bella stared back into his eyes with large, wise chocolate eyes of her own. _They are both so strong and so wise_, the maternal vampire at Carlisle's side thought with tender eyes. Edward, her son, smiled at her and reached over to squeeze her shoulder.

"Yes and no," Carlisle said, choosing his words carefully. Bella looked at him expectantly. "No one is dead, but there was an...incident."

"Mhm," Bella said, motioning with her hand for him to continue.

"Jasper...ahm…," Carlisle ran a hand through his hair, "slipped up."

Bella blinked, trying to make some mental connections before the lightbulb went off in her head. _Jasper drank from a human_, she realized. "Oh," she said simply. All three stared at her, worried about how she'd take it. "May I see him?"

Carlisle ran a hand through his honey hair. "That's the problem, Bella. He's not letting anyone see him; he's not responding to anyone and Edward says that his thoughts aren't straight, yet not violent."

"And even if that weren't true, I wouldn't let you up there to see him. He's already lost control once, and I don't want you getting hurt," Edward interjected.

Bella considered this, looking absently at her hands, playing with her own slender fingers. "I'd still like to try; there are six vampires in this house. I think at least one of you can manage to get up the stairs," Bella joked, a small smile turning up her lips.

Carlisle looked at Edward, silently pleading with him; he cared deeply for his newest son and hated to see him hurt. With a deep sigh, Edward nodded. "All right," he said, "but if anything, and I mean _anything_goes wrong, just scream."

With a gentle roll of her eyes, Bella journeyed up the stairs with Carlisle; she was lead to an unfamiliar door. Carlisle left her, then, with an appreciative smile. Bella rapped her knuckles very gently on the door. There was no response.

"Jasper?" Bella inquired, tilting her head to the side. Again, there was no response. "All right," she said with a small shrug. Bella sunk down gently to the floor leaning her back against the door. "So, I guess this is going to be a monologue. I'm going to bore you so much that you're going to have to talk to me." The inside of the room was completely and utterly deathly silent. "Or I could just sit here." Again, nothing. "You're killin' me, Smalls," Bella joked, quoting one of her favorite movies.

"So," Bella said, getting comfortable. "my favorite movies of all time are the Bourne movies. Despite what everyone thinks, I actually really like action and fighting. It's a guilty pleasure of mine."

"Bella," Edward said, coming up the stairs. "you're not making any difference."

"I don't care," Bella said simply.

"You're basically talking to yourself," Edward argued.

"Well, then it's a good thing I like the sound of my own voice."

With that, Edward took his leave gracefully, albeit a tad angrily.

"Anyways," Bella said, starting into her monologue again. This went on for a while before Bella's throat became quite dry. "I'll be back in a minute, Jasper; I'm going to go and get some water." Bella got to her feet, grunting slightly when her body popped gently. "Goddamn," she muttered quietly to herself. "Ass is numb."

After gracelessly making her way down the stairs, she was greeted with a bone crushing hug from Alice. It took Bella off guard for only a few moments before she folded her arms back around the pixie-like vampire.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You have no idea what this means to me. It may not be working yet, and I may not be able to see the outcome of this, but I really appreciate it. You have a very soothing voice. I never noticed," Alice said, her voice breaking gently as she tucked her face into Bella's shoulder. With a small smile, Bella gently placed a light kiss on one of Alice's spikes.

"It's the least I can do," Bella replied before gently detaching herself from Alice; when she entered the kitchen, she was enveloped in another hug, a duel hug. Esme and Carlisle. They were silent in their thanks, but they expressed it with their hug. "Can't breathe," Bella eventually said. Both vampire instantly retreated.

"Sorry, Bella," they apologized in unison. Bella rolled her eyes lightly, walking to the fridge and grabbing one of the waters from the shelf absently. She cracked it open as she walked out of the kitchen, up the stairs, then retook her seat on the ground, leaning against the door.

"Back now, obviously. I feel really self centered at the moment; all I've been doing is talking about myself," Bella confessed after taking a light sip from her water bottle to soothe her throat. "I'm just going to go ahead and sit here if you don't mind; I don't really know what to say."

For some time, Bella just sat there, breathing and staring lightly at her hands, just letting Jasper know silently that she was there. Eventually, Bella laid down in front of the door, curling up gently and fell asleep.

Downstairs, Edward's head suddenly snapped up; everyone in the room looked to him, panicked. A small smile turned up Edward's lips. "His thoughts are quite peaceful for the first time; I suspect it's because of the emotions that Bella is feeling because of her sleep. Sleep is the most pure form of emotion, and her feelings are peaceful. It's letting him slip into a sleep-like state of calm," Edward informed the onlookers with a small smile.

Alice grinned brilliantly. "I knew that Bella would help; Bella always helps," she gushed, her eyes bright and sparkling. Edward laughed quietly, patting Alice's forehead.

"Should we leave her to sleep on the floor?" Esme inquired quietly.

That threw them all for a loop, even Carlisle. "If we move her too far away, will that lessen the strength of the emotions affecting Jasper?" he mused.

"But is she comfortable on the floor?" Esme countered.

"We'll go ahead and move her," Edward decided, getting to his feet and walking easily up the stairs, taking them three at a time. Once he got to Bella, he smiled gently down at his lover, his gold eyes tender; he gently knelt down and folded his icy arms around her slender, warm frame. He then walked her into his room that was only a few feet from Jasper's study; although he wanted Bella to be safe, he also wanted his brother to be well.

When Edward laid her on the bed, Bella gently curled around the pillow at her side. Bella yawned very softly, and Edward brushed her hair gently from her eyes. "I love you," he murmured, bending over her gently and kissing her lips softly.

**xxxx**

Bella awoke a few hours later; she yawned quietly and stretched herself out. Edward, at her side, gently stroked her cheek.

"Hello," he murmured.

Bella blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked at the vampire above her. "Oh, hello," Bella replied pleasantly, smiling gently at him. Rolling over gently, Bella got to her feet. "Is Jasper responsive in any way?" Bella inquired.

Edward ran a hand through his hair and sighed a bit. "Well, not really, but when you slept, his thoughts were very calm; it soothed him. It was the calmest his thoughts have been since it happened," Edward said with a small smile to Bella, who's face lit up at this. She was glad that she could pay back Jasper for saving her life in Phoenix.

"I'm really glad I could help," Bella said, stretching, then running a hand through her hair.

"I should get you home," Edward suggested.

With a gentle smile, Bella agreed, walking out of the Cullen house with Edward, her thoughts solely on helping Jasper and some things she'd talk about tomorrow. It felt good to be helping someone in the Cullen family rather than having them help her. It was a nice feeling, and she quite enjoyed it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: soyeah, that was the first chapter. It's rather short, but it's decent for the introduction, I think. I'd love to hear what you all think of this. There was a bit too much dialogue in this for my taste, but meh. Please tell me what you think about this chapter. I love waking up to reviews.**

**Until next time,**

**Claire**


	2. Comatose

**My demons lay in waiting, tempting me away. **

**…**

**I'll never wake up without an over dose of you. **

** xxxx**

The next day, around noon, Bella and Edward arrived back at the Cullen residence; hugs were exchanged briefly before Bella walked up to Jasper's study. This time, she did not knock on the door, nor did she ask to enter.

"Hi, Jasper," Bella greeted easily, leaning her back softly against the door as she took her seat. There was no response from inside. "So, Edward told me that your thoughts calmed down a bit when I was sleeping. I suppose that makes quite a bit of sense, seeing as the majority of humans are quite peaceful when they're asleep. I've talked with Edward and I'm going to be sleeping here to give you some peace." Not a noise came from inside the room. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if you're even in there at all."

Bella laughed gently, shaking her head; she reached into the small drawstring bag at her side and produced a sketchbook from the depths of it. A small pack of charcoal pencils also was produced from the bag. "Since I'm not in the mood for a monologue at the moment, I'm going to draw," Bella informed the silent vampire. Flipping the sketchbook open, she began to draw, her eyes focused on the drawing, head bent ever so slightly.

Inside the room was Jasper; his previously kind and wise eyes were now a cold, hard ruby red, devoid of any emotion. The blonde vampire sat in a wing backed chair, his eyes staring blankly ahead, his fingers sunk into the chair's upholstery. He heard nothing of Bella's speaking; He could only feel the shame, the pity, and the sadness in the air-he was weak, so weak. From the start, he'd known that he'd never be as good as the Cullens, that his control would never be as good as theirs, and they'd shown their acknowledgement of this fact by hovering and hovering and hovering for years. And the moment they weren't looking, his beast sprung out and killed a human.

The only abnormal noise that Jasper heard in the house was the sound of a beating heart; both the smell and the sound tempted him, though it seemed as though his body could not move. His mind, too, seemed to be frozen, frozen in the moments that he had killed the poor girl; his mind replayed the quick memory over and over. Though no one else knew it, each time it flashed before his eyes, it killed him inside. He'd never felt so weak.

"I brought a poem book; I thought of it last minute and it was the first thing I saw. Sorry if it bores you," Bella said softly from outside the dark room; there was a soft rustle of papers and the small noise of the spine of the book cracking in protest of being opened. Then, the flipping of pages. "This is one of my favorites," Bella informed, oblivious to the fact that Jasper couldn't hear her. "It's _If I Knew You and You Knew Me_ by Nixon Waterman." Bella gently cleared her throat before reading the poem aloud.

_If I knew you and you knew me,  
>If both of us could clearly see,<br>And with an inner sight divine,  
>The meaning of your heart and mine,<br>I'm sure that we would differ less,  
>And clasp our hands in friendliness;<br>Our thoughts would pleasantly agree,  
>If I knew you and you knew me.<em>

Jasper heard speech from outside the door for the first time. Whoever spoke was using a very gentle and passionate voice, as though they were comfortable, and it was familiar to him for some unknown reason; the tone of voice was not intended, though, and that was what made it soothing. He could not identify the speaker, he was too far reverted into himself, but he liked the fact that the voice sounded comfortable. The scene that played in front of his eyes over and over lessened in volume, though the clarity of the picture was pure as ever. Silently, Jasper wished for the voice to speak again, to grace his ears again, to block out the sound of the human's screaming for those few short moments as they read.

Bella flipped the pages softly, finding the dogeared page that held another of her marked poems. "This one is called _Under the Harvest Moon_, and it's by Carl Sandburg." The soft noise of her clearing her throat, then that passionate and gentle voice.

_Under the harvest moon,_

_When the soft silver_

_Drips shimmering_

_Over the garden nights,_

_Death, the gray mocker,_

_Comes and whispers to you_

_As a beautiful friend_

_Who remembers._

_Under the summer roses_

_When the flagrant crimson_

_Lurks in the dusk_

_Of the wild red leaves,_

_Love, with little hands,_

_Comes and touches you_

_With a thousand memories,_

_And asks you_

_Beautiful, unanswerable questions._

Before either knew it, Bella was asleep, and Jasper was alone in his thoughts again, reverting back into himself within moments. Then, without his own consent, Jasper's eyes closed slowly and though he did not physically relax, his mind relaxed and he found momentary solace from the repeating memory.

**xxxx**

"Edward," Bella said softly, running her fingers through his silky bronze hair.

The vampire smile up at his lover. "Yes, Bella?" he inquired, tilting his chin up and kissing her wrist softly.

"Did my sitting outside with Jasper help at all."

Edward pressed his lips together softly. "Not that I could tell; I think you should just let him heal on his own. Plus, you have finals soon and probably need to study."

Bella ran her fingers through her own hair this time as she sat on the edge of the bed; her lover wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder softly. "All right," she agreed reluctantly, more to the latter part that the middle. Closing her eyes, she leaned back into his solid form.

**xxxx**

Two days had passed since Bella's decision to not return to the Cullen house to help Jasper; also in the past two days, she'd been bogged down with loads of final studying. Because it was Saturday, however, Bella and Edward made their way to the Cullen residence. When they entered the house, Bella couldn't help the pang in her being that drew her toward Jasper's study. Her brown eyes gazed up the staircase that lead to the study. With a gentle sigh, Edward kissed her hair, silently telling her to go up.

After a brief passing of words with Alice, Bella made her way up the stairs, sketchbook and colored pencils in hand. "Hello again, Jasper. Sorry I haven't been here lately. I had finals to study for. Honestly, now that I think about it, it probably would have been quieter here than at my house." Bella chuckled to herself, taking her seat; she flipped her sketchbook open and worked on coloring in the picture she'd drawn the last time she'd been here.

Inside the room, Jasper recognized the voice of the person that read the poems; he still couldn't place where he knew the voice, but it again dimmed the volume of the human's voice in his memory.

"You know," Bella said absently as she shaded in her drawing, "I've been told I sing well." For a few moments, she was silent, absorbed in her drawing, but soon continued, much to the relief of Jasper. "Surprising, right? _Me_, singing. I can't read music worth shit, but making up the notes and following the beat of a song works pretty well for me."

The sound in Jasper's memory was completely blocked out by the voice.

"I suppose I can sing for you if you'd like," Bella murmured to herself. "Well, since Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands, I suppose I'll sing a song of theirs. I'm just going to say now that I don't do them justice, but, hey, a girl can try." She cleared her throat softly and continued to sketch, but a delicate, surprisingly soprano musical voice tumbled from her lips hesitantly, but gained confidence.

_Sometimes in the morning, I am petrified and can't move, _

_Awake but cannot open my eyes. _

_And the weight is crushing down _

_On my lungs, I know I can't breathe_

_And hope someone will save me this time._

The voice of the singer became clearer and the sight of his replaying memory blurred slightly around the edges. Silently, his body yearned for her to continue, and she did.

_And sometimes when you're on, _

_You're really fuckin' on. _

_And your friends they sing along_

_And they love you. _

_But the lows are so extreme_

_That the good seems fucking cheap. _

_And it teases you for weeks in it's absence. _

_But you'll fight _

_And you'll make it through, _

_You'll fake it if you have to, _

As she sang, the visual part of the memory completely faded, and Jasper was suddenly aware of where he was. He was in his study. Slowly, a long held breath parted and slipped through his lips.

From downstairs, everyone's heads snapped up, hearing his exhale.

Jasper was awake.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hai. So, I hate that my chapters in this fic are so short, but fuck it. I pretty much got the introduction done, so now the actual story part is going to start. I'm having a bit of writer's block for BIBN, but it'll be out today, hopefully, but I can't promise for a good chapter. It's probably just going to be a filler. You guys were fuckin' awesome with reviews for the first chapter. I hope ya'll can get in that many again. **

**Love you to bits, **

**Claire. **


	3. Fix You

**If you never try,**

**You'll never know**

**Just what you're worth.**

**Lights will guide you home**

**…**

**xxxx**

Edward was at Bella's side at an instant, gripping her upper arm with gentle, yet undeniable strength and pulling her to her feet. Unable to protest for he moved too quickly, Bella simply stumbled along, complying with his movements. Only when they were in the car did Bella regain simple composure.

"What happened?" Bella inquired.

Edward grunted the answer at her. "Jasper's conscious again."

Bella grinned broadly, then it faded. "Why are we leaving then?"

"Because he's not stable."

Bella reached over and placed her hand atop Edward's on the steering wheel. "I still want to see him."

"Why do you care so much, Bella?" Edward spat at her, clearly stressed and angry.

Bella remained unfazed by this. "Why do you care so little?" she inquired back coolly, leaning back into her chair.

"I do care, Bella. I just don't want you getting hurt," Edward sighed gently, pulling the car to the side of the road. They hadn't even made it out of the driveway.

"I won't. Just take me back."

"No."

"Fine," Bella said with a small shrug; she swung the door open and jumped softly out of the car, then set out down the long drive. She couldn't even see the house, but she honestly didn't care.

Edward didn't stop her. Instead, he put the car in gear and drove away. Sometimes, though he loved Bella, she drove him absolutely insane. This was one of those times; he needed to calm down and rip something's throat out. Ah, hunting.

**xxxx**

Back at the house, Jasper slowly rose from his chair; it was not as though he was sore. No, he wasn't sore, just taking things slow. After a moment's listen, he found that the singer had left, and this made him frown. The door to his study swung open and little Alice bounded in; Jasper flinched back, shrinking from the pixie-like female walking to him. Alice stopped dead in her tracks, her golden eyes getting as large as dinner plates, her lips parting in a horrified 'o'.

"Oh, Jasper," Alice whispered softly, pity swirling around in her emotional cocktail.

Jasper said nothing. He only shied back further, toward the desk in the back corner. He did not know the woman in the slightest; it seemed as though her face was familiar, but he could not place who she was.

Alice gently reached out for him, and he bumped into the wall gently. Suddenly, he realized a burning sensation in his throat, a sensation he could not recognize. Though the memory was not playing in his mind, he was at his baser instincts and this _thirst_ he felt had to be sated.

Without a second to lose, Jasper flew from the room, down the stairs, then to the door. The bulking vampire known as Emmett, however, stopped him, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother's shoulders, restricting him from moving. Animalistic and all together frightening sounds ripped their way up Jasper's throat as he smelled blood, fresh, warm blood coming up the stairs.

And then Bella Swan walked into the house; she stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Jasper. Their eyes locked, and both froze. The only sound heard in the house was Bella's heart beating; she wasn't even breathing. Slowly, though, she exhaled, and took measured, slow steps toward Jasper, their eyes locked intently the entire time. Steadily, Bella's hand raised; Jasper snarled in response. This did not effect Bella, though; she continued her gradual ascent toward Jasper, palm raised in silent offering.

Alice moved to stop Bella from going further, but Carlisle gently put a hand on her shoulder. In all of his nearly four hundred years on this planet, Carlisle had never seen a human interact so oddly, so profoundly, so understandingly…with a vampire.

"Jasper," Bella said in a very low, very calm voice. Again, a snarl was Jasper's response. The brunette human was very quiet and very calm as she continued her approach toward the hostile, blonde vampire. Never once did she break eye contact with Jasper. Though she didn't notice, as she got within inches of Jasper, her hand raised and reached out to touch. A slow, constant growl rocked Jasper's chest; Bella gently brushed her calm, steady fingers across Jasper's cheekbone.

The entire room held their breath as Bella did this, each of the vampires leaning toward the interaction, a mix between ready to pull Bella back and honest curiosity. Jasper stared at Bella, then slowly leaned his cheek into her touch; he found that she was warm. He liked warm; it soothed his lust for blood. He didn't want to kill her anymore; he didn't want her blood. He wanted her warmth.

With a small smile, Bella placed her hand lightly on his cheek. A new, quiet sound entered the environment. It came from Jasper, but it was not threatening. It took all of them a while to recognize what the sound was.

Jasper was_ purring._

Bella kept a small smile on her lips as she moved her hand very slowly upwards and brushed a piece of waved hair from Jasper's ruby eyes. The brown eyes Jasper stared into did not hold fear or hesitancy, only kindness and reassurance. He couldn't place any of the faces around him and it concerned him, but this face seemed, for some reason, kinder and more familiar than any others. The hand on his cheek was warm and he leaned into it lightly. Emmett let go of Jasper's shoulders and moved quickly to Rosalie's side, kissing her neck very lightly. Everyone in the room watched the human and vampire interact with rabid curiosity, especially Carlisle.

"Jasper," Bella said very quietly, keeping her eyes connected with his and blinking very slowly, for the first time. Jasper said nothing; his arms reached out silently, quickly. The entire house went stiff, tensing and leaning forward, prepared to fight the blonde vampire. The speaker made him warm, and he liked it; he wanted to feel it more than on his cheek. With a gentle smile, Bella moved into his arms, sliding her thin arms around his strong, cold waist; Jasper's arms folded around the warm, slim body in front of him, and he crushed her to himself, reveling in the warmth. God, she was so warm. "Careful, Jasper," Bella said very quietly. With a small noise, Jasper loosened his arms around her waist very softly. A small smile made it's way to Bella's lips as Jasper buried his face in her hair.

Carlisle's lips parted in complete and utter awe. "Bella...how?...Amazing...how?…," he stuttered out, completely at a loss for words. Esme, his love, standing at his side, smiled tenderly at Jasper and Bella.

"Bella's special," Esme said simply, quietly, as though it answered every question.

Alice, standing by the door, alone, couldn't help but seethe with jealousy; Bella, a _human_ could comfort her mate better than she could. With a low snarl, she flew from the house, making her way into the woods. She needed to hunt.

"Jasper," Bella said quietly, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear, "would you like Emmett to go get you some food?" Jasper didn't raise his hair from her face, nor did he show any signs of registering that she spoke. "All right," Bella said after waiting for a few minutes without a response.

Silently, Jasper gathered her into his arms, carrying her bridal style, and walked her up the stairs to his study. Bella laughed softly and rested her cheek on his shoulder. The rest of the Cullen family shadowed the two very closely. Once in the study, Jasper sat on the undamaged chair and put Bella in his lap; Bella smiled slightly and tucked herself into Jasper's form, finding this easy to do, and comfortable at that. Jasper locked his arms around the human, the warmth. Despite his recent slip-up, he did not thirst for her blood; rather, he thirsted for her warmth. For too long he'd gone without the touch of someone warm, someone human.

Carlisle stood at the door, gazing at the pair with the same expression as he had only minutes ago. "Amazing," he whispered quietly, shaking his head in both amazement and amusement. Only Bella would curl up with a vampire that had killed a human a short week ago.

"I'll call if anything goes wrong," Bella reassured, smiling gently at the family. Emmett looked seriously at her, telling her silently that he'd tear him to shreds if she asked. With a laugh and a shake of her head, she waved them off.

After few hours of sitting in silence, tucked into Jasper's frame, Bella fell into a gentle sleep. Jasper fed off her emotions, his mind relaxing and falling into a sleep-like state, though it was, in fact, impossible for him to physically sleep.

**xxxx**

Alice found Edward sometime later.

"Hello, Alice," he greeted with a small smile to his sister.

"Edward," Alice greeted with cold intentions, sprinting out into the forest and ripping the throat out of and draining the first creature that she found.

Edward read her thoughts easily, seeing the images of Jasper hugging Bella flip through her mind, tinted red with her desperate rage. His own rage sparked and he tore from the forest on foot, running as fast as he could back to the house. Although Jasper was his brother, he did not trust him with Bella, a human. A _human_ for god sakes! What was his family thinking, letting her do that? When he arrived in the house, he was soaking wet from the rain that poured down over Forks.

"Where is she?" Edward bit out. Carlisle and Emmett instantly went to block the stairs, but Edward was quicker, shooting up the stairs and catching himself very lightly on the doorjamb to the study. He almost tore off the doorjamb when he saw the scene in front of him.

Bella was curled up in Jasper's lap, her head tucked gently into the crook of his neck, while Jasper held his arms around her protectively, his face in her hair. A low snarl ripped up Edward's throat and exposed his teeth as it slipped between them. Bella woke from her sleep with a start; she moaned very softly, rubbing her eyes lightly and looking blearily at Edward. Jasper, sensing anger from the bronze haired male in the doorway, tightened his arms around the warm female, fearing the male would take her away from him.

"Bella," Edward said, enunciating each letter of her name slowly through his teeth.

"Edward, he's hurting. Please, just let him. Please," Bella said quietly, looking at Edward with large, pleading brown eyes. "Emmett's got it if anything goes wrong. All I have to do is say the word and I'm out of here." At her words, Jasper gently tightened his arms around her; Bella turned and pushed some hair from his eyes before turning back to Edward. "But I'm all right. I trust Jasper."

"You shouldn't," Edward replied in a blistering tone. "He killed a human, Bella. In cold blood. Drank her dry. What makes you think that he won't do the same with you?"

At the mention of his slip up, Jasper whimpered very quietly, the memory starting to come back. With a gentle frown of worry, Bella stroked his silky hair.

"Edward, leave. _Now._"

Edward had to bite back a feral snarl as he turned away and walked deliberately slowly down the stair case before going to sit stoically beside Esme.

"She's helping him, Edward. Please, let her help him," Esme pleaded her son quietly, kissing his cheek.

Up in the study, the door ajar, Bella stroked Jasper's hair quietly. "Shh, Jasper. It's all right. Don't listen to Edward. I know it was an accident," she reassured him softly. Jasper was silent as ever as he tucked his face into her hair, shuddering softly at her warmth.

"Warm," Jasper said in a very quiet, very rough voice.

Bella laughed softly, the sound musical and whimsical, wrapping Jasper's ears in cotton. "Yes, I am very warm, aren't I? I suppose that's a benefit of having a beating heart." Jasper smiled very softly into her hair, though Bella could not see it.

**xxxx**

Eventually, Bella fell asleep again, and this time slept for a long while. When she woke up, it was not a start nor was it unexpected. It was gradual and lazy, and she absolutely loved it.; the sun shone gently from outside the study, bathing Bella in a warm light. Slowly, she opened her eyes and yawned very softly. It took her a minute to register where she was, but she glanced up at Jasper and gave him a soft smile, tucking that pesky lock of hair behind his ear again.

"Morning, Jasper," Bella said softly, shifting in his arms slightly. Jasper tightened his arms around her gently.

"Jasper, I need a human moment. I'm going to shower, then I'll be right back, all right? I promise."

After a moment, Jasper's grip loosened on Bella, and she slipped from his lap. As she walked into the bathroom, she glanced behind her and almost burst into tears at the sight she saw. Strong warrior Jasper with his head hung, hair limp in his face, posture vulnerable. Suddenly, she felt a protective pull toward him, but she shook it off quickly and easily, taking her human moment quickly as possible.

When she exited the shower, she was surprised to find an outfit laid out for her; a simple pair of yoga pants and a tank top were all that was there, in addition to undergarments. Bella put on the simple black bra and panty set, then slipped the comfortable fabric of the yoga pants and tank top. It would be more comfortable being in these for a long period of time than her jeans and shirt.

Bella opened the door to the bathroom, tying her now-damp hair up in a messy bun. Before she could look for Jasper, cold arms had wrapped around her, crushing her to a familiar frame and taking her back to the couch. Bella laughed quietly and complied, tucking herself comfortably into his form.

"Hello, Jasper," Bella said, smiling at the vampire.

For a moment, she swore she saw him smile back.

**And I will try to fix you.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, that was the...third chapter, yes? the longest one. I knew that because I was done with the introduction that things would go smoother. I'm quite happy with how this turned out, but that's just me. Jasper's going to be a bit strange and primal and such for a while before he finally realizes what's happened. at the moment, he's like a child, lost and confused in a large place and all he wants is a familiar face, so he settled for something warm, something human. Bella. Soyeah. Uhm, I loved all of the reviews I got last chapter, and hope for a repeat. **


	4. Feels So Right

**Whisper to me softly,**

**Breathe words upon my skin.**

**No one's near and listening,**

**So please don't say goodbye.**

**Just hold me close.**

A few days passed; it was Monday morning, and Bella felt terrible about leaving Jasper, but she had to take her finals. Per usual, she was tucked into his arms, his face in her hair; she had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing her school clothes. Like usual, as soon as she got out of the shower, she was instantly wrapped up in a cold embrace.

"Jasper," Bella said quietly, playing with a piece of hair on the nape of his neck. "I have to go to school today." Jasper's arms tightened around her. "I have to take my finals today. Math and science. I'll come back right after them, all right? I'll only be gone for a few hours." Bella gently tilted Jasper's face so that he would look at her; because his eyes were still downcast, Bella gently ducked her head. "I promise." Slowly, Jasper loosened his arms around her. "Thank you." As Bella got to her feet, Jasper looked up very slightly; Bella met his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. "Only a few hours."

**xxxx**

Just as promised, four hours later, Bella returned to the Cullen house. With a quick hello to Carlisle and Esme and a quick goodbye kiss for Edward, Bella walked up the stairs. When Bella arrived in the doorway of the study, she saw Alice with Jasper; Jasper was against the wall, shying away from her, and Alice was getting quite angry. At her arrival, Jasper's head snapped up and he, with inhuman speed, went to her and picked her up, crushing her to his chest.

Alice walked past the two, shooting a soft glare at Bella; although she loved Bella and she was her best friend, but she hated that Bella was the only one that was able to get to Jasper and keep him calm. Alice made her way downstairs and sat on the couch next to Edward, sharing a meaningful look with him. Both were quite irked by their lovers' interactions when previously, they'd hardly said two words to each other each day.

Jasper carried Bella back to the chair and curled around her again.

"A girl could get used to this," Bella laughed quietly, tucking the lock of hair that always seemed to fall into his eyes behind his ear again. Jasper tucked his face into her hair gently. Bella stroked his hair very lightly, humming softly. "So, my finals went quite well. I was worried about math, but I think I did quite well...then again, whenever I think that I tend to not do so well." With a light laugh, Bella shrugged her shoulders. Jasper glanced up at her, peeking a red eye out from her hair.

"Sure you did fine," Jasper mumbled very quietly, almost inaudibly before retreating back into Bella.

"Thank you, Jasper. That means a lot," Bella said, playing with his fingers. "Did you know that I actually like music? I tell people all the time that I don't like music. Between you me and the wall, I honestly don't listen to the music I like because Edward hates it. I absolutely _adore_ old rock...and modern rock...and indie. All awesome."

Jasper peeked out from her hair again and blinked softly, looking her in the eye. "Why?"

"Why don't I listen to it because of Edward?" Jasper nodded softly. "Well because you do that kind of stuff for people you love. I don't listen to the music I like that often; I've learned to love classical music, though. It may not be my cup of tea, but that's all right. It's good not to see eye to eye with your…" Bella trailed off, searching for the right word. "significant other. That takes the fun out of everything." A small, very brief smile flickered over Jasper's lips before he turned his face back into her hair.

"I'm really glad that you're talking to me, Jasper. Even if it just sometimes. I appreciate it that you're acknowledging my presence." Bella laughed gently and rested her cheek atop his head. Jasper nodded gently into her hair.

"Will you sing?" Jasper inquired into her hair.

Bella smiled very softly. "All right. Hm...how about CCR? You listen to them?" Jasper nodded his head gently. "Good." Bella hummed the intro quietly before starting to sing the mutually familiar lyrics of _Who'll Stop the Rain_.

_Long as I remember,_

_The rain been comin' down._

_Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground._

_Good men through the ages,_

_Tryin' to find the sun._

_And I wonder,_

_Still I wonder,_

_Who'll stop the rain?_

_I went down Virginia_

_Seekin' shelter from the storm._

_Caught up in the fable_

_I watched hte tower grow._

_Five year plans and_

_New deals wrapped in golden chains._

_And I wonder,_

_Still I wonder who'll stop the rain._

As soon as Bella started singing, Jasper relaxed his grip around her softly, but not enough for her to get up, just enough to let her move into a more comfortable position. Soon enough, Bella finished up the song; as she leaned against Jasper's chest, she felt it vibrating. For a moment, she froze, taken by surprise, but noticed the sound as a purr.

With a gentle laugh, Bella inquired, "Another CCR or perhaps some Alabama?" At the mention of Alabama, Jasper peeked his face from Bella's hair. His eyes were bright, seemingly with excitement. "Well," Bella said with a gentle smile, "Alabama it is." Bella cleared her throat softly and started to sing softly to Jasper.

_Oh, play me some mountain music._

_Like grandma and granpa used to play._

_Then I'll float on down the rive,_

_To a Cajun hideaway._

_Drift away like Tom Swayer,_

_Ride a raft with old Huck Finn._

_Take a nap like rip van winkle_

_Daze dreamin' again_

_Oh, play me some mountain music_

_Like grandma and grandpa used to play_

_Then I'll float on down the river_

_To a Cajun hideaway_

_Swim across the river, just to prove that I'm a man_

_Spend the day bein' lazy, just bein' nature's friend_

Although Bella didn't really notice it, Jasper had started to hum along, and when she paused, attempting to recall the lyrics, he looked up at her expectantly.

"Sorry, Jasper. I can't remember the rest of the song."

Jasper bit his lip softly before nodding and hiding his face in her tresses again. "Cars?" he mumbled softly into her hair.

Bella grinned. "I know Cars." Although she wasn't completely sure, she thought she felt Jasper smile into her hair. "Do you want to sing with me?" Jasper shook his head silently. "All right," Bella agreed, "but sometime soon, I'm going to have to get up to get some water." Jasper nodded softly and tightened his arms around her while he could. Bella only got halfway through _Moving In Stereo _before her voice cracked. "Do you want to come downstairs with me, Jasper?" Bella asked softly. Jasper shook his head softly and loosened his grip around her. Bella smiled a bit and leaned down, brushing her lips over the crown of his head before heading downstairs.

Once down there, she was greeted with an unfamiliar, feminine pair of arms. "Thank you so much, Bella," Rosalie said quietly.

Flustered by her sudden friendliness, Bella righted herself quickly when she was released and smiled at Rosalie, not wanting to fuck anything up while things were good. Strike when the iron's hot, right? "Of coarse, Rosalie."

"I've known Jasper for as long as anyone in this family, save Alice, and we know each other the best, again, save Alice, and it kills me to see him hurt. Thank you for helping him. You've saved both my brothers now."

Bella laughed softly and smiled at Rosalie. "It's the least I can do."

Rosalie hugged her softly again before letting her on her way. When Bella walked into the kitchen, she saw Carlisle and Esme sitting at the table, speaking quietly with one another. Bella, not wanting to disturb them, made herself silent as possible, opening the fridge door and poking about for a moment before choosing a simple bottle of water again. For some reason, she felt as though her stomach couldn't handle anything more, though it growled softly in hunger.

At the soft noise of Bella's stomach, both Carlisle and Esme looked up, seemingly surprised to see Bella in front of them, who had a small, embarrassed smile.

"Sorry," she mumbled, opening the water and leaning lightly against the counter as she drank from the bottle, loving the feeling of the cool water flowing down her throat.

Esme smiled brightly at her newest daughter. "I'll make you something, Bella; when was the last time you ate? You look very thin."

This took Bella off guard; she looked down at herself. Well, her shirt _did _look looser than it had before. A light frown marred her soft features, and she shrugged. "I haven't really been hungry." In fact, she wasn't hungry now, but she wasn't going to hurt Esme's feelings by rejecting the food.

Carlisle, at the mention of her lack of hunger, got up and guided her lightly to the table. "Are you all right, Bella? Are you spending too much time with Jasper, and you feel as though you can't eat?"

Bella arched a brow at Carlisle, studying his worried golden eyes. "No," Bella said with a laugh and roll of her chocolate eyes.

Carlisle studied her face, much as she had done to him moments ago; her cheekbones were starting to become more pronounced. "Well, Esme's going to make some food for you, maybe you'll feel better-and look better-after you eat."

The thought of food actually made Bella kind of green, but she suppressed both the grimace and shudder that came along with the thought of food. Instead, she smiled brightly at Carlisle and Esme. "I bet; Esme's food always makes me feel better; I should go t-." Suddenly, Bella cut off. Both Carlisle and Esme were looking behind Bella, who slowly turned around.

Jasper was standing in the doorway, head down as always; Bella frowned softly and got to her feet, brushing some hair from his eyes gently. "Hi, Jasper," she greeted quietly. Instantly, Jasper's arms were tucked around Bella and he sat down in Bella's old seat, across from Carlisle, putting his face in her hair.

Both Carlisle and Esme watched this interaction with wide, curious eyes. Though this had been going on for almost a week, it never ceased to shock the pair how tender Bella was with Jasper, and how Jasper reacted to her.

"Hello, son," Carlisle greeted with a warm smile. Jasper did not move his face from Bella's hair; a soft purr had started in his chest again as he pulled Bella snugly against him. Suffice to say that he was happy to have her warmth back again.

Bella smiled gently at Jasper and petted his hair softly, running her slender fingers through his wavy honey locks. "You need a shower," Bella concluded. Without his own consent, a soft, very soft, almost inaudible laugh fell from Jasper's lips, and he nuzzled his face into her hair. "I shower for you, how come you can't shower for me?" Another quiet laugh; Bella grinned down at him.

Carlisle's jaw was practically on the ground, and his eyes were wide, comically so. Bella smirked lightly, something he'd never seen her do, and winked cockily. "How…?" Carlisle breathed.

Bella shrugged softly. "Hell if I know." Jasper's purring kept up at the sound of her voice. "Hey, Jasper, how about you go and shower while I eat some food? I'll be done by the time you're done...and no vampire speed cheating. Deal?" Jasper nodded softly into her hair and tightened his grip around her in a soft hug before letting her down and vampire speeding his way back upstairs.

Esme smiled warmly at Bella as she stirred whatever she was cooking. Carlisle leaned over to Bella and hugged her. "You're remarkable."

"I know," Bella returned simply. This made both vampires laugh, as well as Rosalie and Emmett in the other room. Edward and Alice, as always, were silent.

Carlisle kissed his daughter's forehead and pushed a piece of her hair behind her hair. "Thank you so much, Bella."

"Hush," Bella muttered. All these thanks were making her a tad uncomfortable.

Carlisle flashed her a blinding smile. "All right, all right." Bella reached over and lightly flicked his nose, taking the blonde, fatherly vampire by surprise; she waggled her brows at him, a smirk on her lips.

Bella leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes; when she opened them, Esme had put a bowl of soup in front of her. Swallowing back her grimace and putting a smile in its place, Bella thanked the motherly vampire with a soft hug around the middle. She picked up the spoon and poked at the soup a bit, putting some into the curve of the spoon, then into her mouth. Despite her lack of hunger, Bella couldn't deny that it was great.

"This is amazing, Esme," Bella said with a large smile.

Esme seemed delighted by the praise. "I'm glad you like it."

"I always like what you cook," Bella replied simply, eating some of the soup. She soon stopped, looking at the four vampires-two of which had entered the room just as she was given the food-who were staring at her. "Jesus H. Christ, people, I love you to death, but honestly, it's creepy as hell when you watch me eat!" Bella exclaimed. The entire room dissipated into laughs for what seemed like the first time in ages.

Edward came into the room, then, and everything seemed to get very quiet; Bella turned away from him, a bit coldly, and went to her soup. "Bella," Edward said in his soft voice that he reserved especially for Bella.

"What?" Bella asked, staring at her soup as though it would answer every question that she had inside her. However, the soup let her down, and she shifted her eyes to the bronze haired, golden eyed vampire that she loved so dearly.

"I'm sorry for being really moody the past few days. I've been really stressed about Jasper and his thoughts are getting to me."

Bella simply just stared at him, making the emotion, admittedly quite well, that she felt cooking inside. "All right," Bella replied levelly before tucking back into her soup.

Edward gently put his hand over hers, lacing their fingers. "Go to the meadow with me?" he inquired with a dazzling crooked smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing; he was intentionally dazzling Bella. For some reason, though, Bella noticed this and blinked; it had no hold over her this time.

"I told Jasper I'd be here when he got out of the shower," Bella said, squeezing his fingers. "I don't want him to lock himself up in that room again."

Edward tore his hand back from Bella's as though she had burned him; Bella sighed very gently. When he spoke, his tone was blistering. "Why is it that all you care about nowadays is Jasper? Is something happening between the two of you?"

Both Carlisle and Esme opened their mouthes, appalled at Edward's tone toward the human everyone adored, but Bella held her hand up to stop them, getting to her feet and turning to Edward. "Edward, listen to me. _I _love _you_. Nothing is happening between me and Jasper, nor do I want anything to happen. I don't even know where you're getting that shit fed to you from. He's Alice's mate, and I love Alice, so I'm going to help him. All right? If you have insecurities about you and I, then Carlisle honestly needs to check out your goddamn mental health. And Edward," Bella added in a softer, tenderer tone as she sunk into the chair.

Edward smiled at her soft tone. "Yes, Bella?"

"If you ever use that tone with me again, I won't hesitate to get Emmett to kick your ass," Bella said in a low voice. As if punctuating her sentence, giving it validity, Emmett growled lowly from the other room.

Edward's, as well as Carlisle's and Esme's jaw dropped in shock at Bella's threat. Normally, it would be quite amusing, Bella making a threat, but Emmett backing her up was new, and Bella actually being serious was quite new, too. Typically, when she made a threat, it wasn't frightening or remotely 'threatening', but her threat toward Edward seemed both serious and harsh. Bella flashed the three a bright, sardonic smile before getting to her feet.

"Bella," Edward started.

"Thank you for the soup, Esme. Now, if you'll excuse me…," Bella said, taking her leave from the room and walking up to the study with her water.

"Bella," Edward called softly after her.

Within mere milliseconds of her arrival, she was scooped up into a cold embrace, cool skin brushing hers as Jasper tucked his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. "Hello," Bella greeted, letting him take her back to the chair. Jasper's arms were gentle, yet undeniable in their strength as they tightened protectively around her. Lightly, Bella tipped her head to the side, resting her cheek on Jasper's damp hair; it smelled like strawberries. With a soft laugh, Bella inquired, "Did you use my shampoo?"

Bella could feel a smile flicker against her skin, and Jasper nodded softly. A soft laugh fell from Bella's lips as she ran her fingers through his hair. Jasper resumed purring at this action and Bella continued.

"Soft," Jasper said a few hours later. Bella tilted her head to the side gently and looked down at Jasper with a tender smile.

"I guess I am soft. Again, benefits of having a beating heart."

"Sing?" Jasper asked softly, pressing his nose to the nape of her neck.

Bella smiled softly. "All right. What band?"

"Eagles?" Jasper inquired gently into her hair.

"Sure," Bella replied before biting her lip softly, trying to recall lyrics to _Take It Easy_; it seemed to be quite appropriate in this situation.

_Well, I'm a-runnin' down the road,_

_Try'n' to loosen my load,_

_I've got seven women on my mind._

_Four that wanna hold me,_

_Two that wanna stone me,_

_One says she's a friend of mine._

_Take it easy,_

_Take it easy,_

_Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy._

_Lighten up while you still can,_

_Don't even try to understand._

_Just try to find a place to make your stand._

_Take it easy._

Jasper's purring picked up quite considerably as Bella sang again; she glanced down at the vampire she was tucked into and couldn't help but let a soft, tender smile flicker across her face.

"Do you like it when I sing, Jasper?" Bella inquired, asking the obvious.

"Yes," Jasper replied quietly into her neck.

"Shall I continue?" Jasper nodded gently into her neck, probably having had enough of talking.

And so she did, her soft, enchanting voice carrying throughout the house, but more importantly into Jasper's ears, calming him, and making him purr as well as nuzzle Bella's neck. The purrs vibrated in his chest, giving Bella a gentle tingling feeling. It was by no means unpleasant. No, it wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't pleasurable. it was...right, and that frightened Bella ever so slightly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *coughs* I have nothing to say here except review. I love reviews.**

**I retract that first statement. I do have something to say. This chapter is dedicated to Yasric Whitlock. Amazing reviews lead to chapter dedication :3**

**So, I'd love to hear what you all want/hope for in future chapters. I can tell you now that there will be a sequel, but that's a long while away. That was a random, useless tidbit of information brought to you by Claire.**

**~Claire**

**PS: I really enjoyed showing off my taste in music in this chapter. :3 I'm proud of my taste in music.**


	5. I Caught Myself

**Now when I caught myself, **

**I had to stop myself**

**From saying something **

**I should have never thought of you. **

**…**

Two weeks passed since Bella had put her foot down about she and Jasper; things had gone quite smoothly, one could assume, from afar. However, if one took a closer look, they would notice that the strains put on Alice and Jasper's and Bella and Edward's relationships were significant, threatening to break them. The other four vampires of the house couldn't help but watch on.

Rosalie and Emmett took the side of Bella and Jasper while Carlisle and Esme remained rather neutral. In the living room, Emmett and Rosalie were trying desperately to calm down Edward and Alice who were pretty much flipping shit...this had become a normal, everyday occurrence.

Upstairs, completely oblivious to the distress downstairs, Bella and Jasper sat in his chair. Jasper'd opened up quite a bit in the last few weeks; he'd also been feeding regularly. Jasper never left the house, though; Emmett went hunting and brought back a thermos of blood or two for him to feed from. Slowly but surely, Jasper's eyes were returning to their normal gold.

Though his improvement was significant, he still had difficulties being away from Bella for long periods of time, and he still was hazy with names and faces. Bella was helping him with this, though, slowly, steadily. Their time together was mutually enjoyable. Bella liked singing, and Jasper liked hearing her sing; Bella liked to sleep, and Jasper enjoyed the emotions she put off when she slept.

"Jasper," Bella prompted lightly.

The blonde vampire lifted his face gently from her hair. "Yes?" he asked quietly, looking at her with large, gold eyes. Bella was momentarily caught off guard by the beauty of the color of his eyes. Never before had she seen the color that Jasper's eyes were. They were a stunning burnt gold color, shimmering in just the right way in the dying light of the day.

Bella shook her head softly, dispelling the thoughts from her mind. "Would you like to watch a movie with the family today?" Jasper bit the very corner of his lip; Bella tilted her head gently to the side. "We don't have to."

At the mention of 'we', Jasper flashed her a brief smile that flickered in his eyes for a moment before tucking his face back into her hair. "Yeah," Jasper mumbled quietly, nuzzling her neck.

"I'm glad; I think Rosalie and Em miss you." Bella ran her fingers gently through his hair. "How about you jump in the shower and I'll take care of some stuff," Bella suggested. Jasper nodded and tightened his arms around her in a hug before letting her go and zipping into the bathroom. Bella got to her feet and stretched softly, then walked down the stairs, humming softly.

"We heard," Alice said through stiff lips. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

Bella blinked slowly at Alice, then turned to the four other vampires. "What movie do you guys think we should watch?" she inquired. No one seemed to have a good response.

Then, Emmett piped up. "I wanted to go see that movie about the creepy step-mom-like lady that was banging that dad and might be a serial killer."

Bella coughed to hide her laugh. "The Uninvited?"

Emmett snapped his fingers, grinning. "Yeah, that's it!"

Bella rolled her eyes softly. "All right. Well, you go ahead and work that out for _everyone_," Bella said, shooting a soft glare directly at Carlisle and Esme who began to stand. With expression of embarrassment, they took their seats again, earning them a bright grin from Bella. Emmett fiddled around with a slim, silver remote, pressing some buttons and such before pressing the rent button.

With a light smile to everyone, Bella went upstairs. Upon arriving in the study, she saw Jasper no where in sight. However, she had no time to wonder where he was, for two very familiar arms wrapped around her and a soft chuckle slipped through the lips of her hugger. Jasper. Unable to contain the happiness she felt, she spun around softly and hugged him properly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Do you feel like carrying me?"

Jasper purred gently into her hair. "Always." He then scooped her up into his arms, tucking her into his chest, and carried her downstairs. At first, he was very skittish, coming to a stop when he saw everyone; his arms tightened around Bella protectively, but a soft hand on his cheek calmed him down. Slowly, he made his way over to the large club chair, next to the love seat that Emmett and Rosalie sat on, and sunk down into it.

Bella smiled lightly up at him and tapped his forearm gently; he released her just for long enough so she could get situated. Once she had, she turned her head toward the screen and motioned. "Let's go, then."

With a laugh, Emmett started the movie. Jasper had his face tucked into her hair, inhaling her scent and purring softly. It was normal, usual…or at least for Bella and Jasper. Bella, completely undeterred by this, kept on watching the movie, a bit confused, but interested all the same.

Somewhere toward the end of the movie, Bella curled into Jasper, tucking her face into his neck; as a result, his purrs picked up and deepened. Bella did not notice this though; she was fast asleep. Carlisle stared at the pair, trying to placate his thoughts. Suddenly, everything clicked. Jasper and Bella were mates. Oh. _Oh_. **_OH!_**

Only five minutes later, Edward and Alice (who no one had noticed the departure of) walked into the house. Edward, overreacting as always, ran over to Bella and Jasper, wrapping his arms around Bella's waist and tugging. Instantly, Bella was awake. There were arms all over. Too many people touching her.

As Edward pulled her away, Jasper snarled and pulled her closer, desperate to keep her close...and safe.

"Bella," Edward pleaded.

"Edward," Bella said sharply, "please let me go. You're upsetting Jasper, and quite frankly everyone else." With a large movement of her arm, Bella gestured to the rest of the family. Carlisle was in a deep reverie, Esme's hands couldn't be still, Emmett had his lips curled back from his teeth, and Rose was glaring at Edward with burning gold eyes. Mostly, she just wanted him to stop touching her. For some reason, it felt wrong. So wrong.

"Bella," Edward tried again.

"Edward, just let me go." Jasper tightened his arms around Bella as Edward let her go, defeated; his face went back in her hair and he let out a soft, almost undetectable whimper. "Jasper," Bella murmured, stroking his silky locks.

"Bella!" Alice screamed. Bella's head snapped toward the furious pixie. "Get out of my mate's lap right now," Alice snarled dangerously.

Jasper's head snapped out of Bella's hair, and he pulled her close, snarling at Alice viciously. Alice stared at her 'mate' in utter shock. Never in all their years together had he even _growled _at her, let alone snarled in the way he just had. Not knowing what else to do, or who to turn to, her heart broke and she crumpled to the floor, sobbing tearless sobs. Bella put a hand on Jasper's cheek.

"Jasper, I should go, all right?"

Jasper's eyes got huge as he looked at Bella. "No," he said softly.

Edward gave Jasper a warning growl, and Emmett him.

"Jasper, I need to, all right? I should let things cool down. I promise I'll be back soon. You can call me if you want," Bella promised, nodding softly. "Carlisle or Rosalie or Emmett'll give you my number. I promise that I'll answer." Sticking out her slender pinky, Bella offered Jasper a smile. Hesitantly hooking his pinky with hers, he let her up.

Instantly, she was swept out of the house by Edward.

"That was a good decision."

"Not at all influenced by you," Bella finished his sentence, though Edward had thought it had been complete.

Edward sighed softly and reached across the center console of the Volvo and took Bella's soft, warm hand.

"I love you," he reminded, looking at her. For the first time in a long time, he looked like the Edward Bella fell in love with. The sight warmed her heart.

"I love you, too."

"I know."

Edward leaned over and kissed her softly. The kiss, to Bella, seemed wrong. Why did it seem wrong? Edward and she were engaged; they kissed all the time. Why did kissing him feel like she was betraying someone? There was no one else to betray.

Then it hit her. Jasper.

_Oh, God. _

As Bella kissed her fiance, she vowed to herself that no one would ever find out about her feelings. The Cullen family had already had enough grief over her. She didn't need to go about home wrecking, or even just wrecking the family. No. They deserved better. No one would ever find out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Shittastic chapter, I know. It was short and shitty, but Bella needed to realize it. Have I said that you fuckers are amazing? There's 100 reviews on this story. I almost died when i saw that. Almost. **

**I had a small stroke, but I recovered swiftly. Maybe not, though, 'cause as a way of thanks I gave you this shit. I'm a disgrace. lawls yes. So, in a few days I'm going on vacation, and I won't be able to write. However, I'm getting notebooks to write my chapters in so when I get home all I have to do is type everything out. **

**The next stories to be updated before vacation will most likely be Highway to Hell, and I'd like to post the first chapter of Someone Who Needs Me, which is probably going to be one kickass fic. **

**Anywhore, this is a shittastic chapter, but another will be coming swiftly. This was just a filler for the next ones. I need ya'll to tell me: am I moving too swiftly? **

**a happy inbox means Bella/Jasper phone lovin. ;3**

**Also, thank you to soulsistersinaslan for the movie/flip out idea. I didn't do the idea justice, but it'll happen again, no worries. **

**-Claire**


	6. Lips of an Angel

**It's really good to hear your voice**

**Sayin' my name**

**It sounds to sweet**

**Comin' from the lips of an angel**

**Hearin' those words**

**It makes me weak**

**…**

Edward looked down at his fiance who was sleeping peacefully in her bed, worried. Where was their relationship going? This whole thing with Jasper had thrown everyone for a loop; Bella was spending more time with Jasper than Edward, and that stunted their relationship's growth. Edward loved Bella with his entire heart, but their future, for some reason, seemed short and bleak. He had to win Bella back. Bella, oblivious to this inner monologue and decision of Edward's, was dreaming of Jasper.

The dream was nothing sexual, just a quiet moment between the two.

_Bella and Jasper sat together on the banks of a river. Though Bella knew he should be sparkling, Jasper was not. Rather, he was glowing; it was a soft, emanating glow, making his skin shimmer in the slightest of ways. Bella had never seen another vampire glow as Jasper did. Only sparkle quite brightly. However, her train of thought was lost. This glow brought out the scars on his skin. _

_"Do they disgust you, Bella?" Jasper asked suddenly, turning his face to her. _

_"Never, why?" Bella asked, looking at Jasper with such a level of adoration and trust that it took his breath away. _

_Jasper did not answer her question; he simply leaned over and kissed her. _

_"I love you," he reminded. _

_"I know," Bella laughed softly. "I love you more."_

_Jasper lightly rolled them over so he was hovering above her. "Impossible." He brushed his cool lips down her neck with tenderness only he could deliver.  
><em>

_"I digress. Kiss me," Bella requested, smiling lovingly up at him. _

_Jasper laughed softly, his deep, warm, inviting laugh, and leaned toward her. "Your wish is my command, ma'am," he drawled. _

Bella was pulled from her idealistic, lovely dream world by the chirping of her phone.

"Bella, it's just your phone. Go back to sleep," Edward breathed quietly to her.

Grunting softly, she opened her eyes and looked at her phone; she had a new message. With a gentle sigh, she sat up in bed, hunching over slightly as she held the phone, trying to adjust her eyes. Edward sat up with her as well, rubbing her back softly.

It took her a moment to focus her eyes on the screen, but when she did, her heart fluttered. The text was from Jasper.

_I miss your warmth. -J_

Bella couldn't help but smile as her thumbs took control, pushing on the tiny keys with quite admirable precision. _Call me? We can talk. -B_

Edward frowned deeply, reading her texts over her shoulder. "Bella," he sighed gently.

"Edward," Bella returned, glancing over her shoulder at him.

Just as Edward opened his mouth to speak, Bella's phone vibrated, sending out the opening bars to CCR's _Lookin' Out My Back Door_. With a delighted smile, Bella accepted the call with a tap of a button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Jasper," Bella greeted easily, laying back in her bed. Edward copied her motions, gazing at his fiance with worried, protective eyes.

"Hi, Bella," Jasper returned.

"How're you?"

"I miss you."

Bella ran her fingers gently through her hair, having sat up again; she closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall behind her bed. "I miss you, too." At her confession of this, Edward let loose a snarl; Bella's head snapped toward him, her eyes quite large.

"Bella, are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Bella said into the phone before removing it from her ear and glaring at Edward. "Please leave," she said softly.

"Bella," Edward protested.

"Leave," Bella repeated. With a defeated sigh, Edward got off the bed; when he bent down to kiss Bella's forehead, she moved away from him softly. "Don't." Even though she could see the hurt in his eyes, she did not acknowledge this; she put the phone to her ear as Edward left.

"Bella, are you all right?" Jasper inquired worriedly. In his study, he paced, running his fingers through his hair frequently.

"Yeah, Edward's just freaking out over fucking nothing."

A smile twitched at Jasper's lips. "I feel cold without you," he admitted quietly.

"I'm sorry, J," Bella said softly, tucking herself back into her bed.

"I'll live...well, no, I guess I won't. I'm already dead," Jasper deadpanned in an attempt at humor.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh, Jasper. What am I going to do with you?"

"Hug me."

"I can do that…just not right now."

"Are you sure you can't come to the house."

Bella bit her lip hard, almost hard enough to draw blood. "Yeah, I'm sure. Edward'll kill me."

"I'll protect you," Jasper said, an undertone of a growl in his voice.

Bella laughed softly. "I know, Jasper."

"Good," he said with a soft sigh, sinking down into his chair. He could still smell Bella in the room, and he missed her warmth.

"Jasper?"

"Hm?"

"Will you tell me a story?"

This brought a smile to Jasper's lips. "What do you want me to tell you a story about?"

"I don't know. Anything. I like your voice. I'm glad you're talking again."

"Me too, Bella," Jasper breathed softly.

"You know," Bella said lightly, putting her arm over her eyes, "it scared me when you didn't recognize me."

"The details about everyone else are a bit hazy, but I'm remembering slowly. Thank you so much for the help, Bella." Jasper, with all of his heart, wished that he could hug her right now, kiss her. Wait, kiss her? Yes, kiss her. He wanted to feel her soft, warm lips against his. He wanted to hug her and kiss her and love her without having to be monitored or betray his wife and brother for doing it.

"I'm glad," Bella said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sorry for calling you so late," Jasper said, tugging a hand through his hair.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, Jasper?"

God, he loved it when she said his name. It sounded like heaven. "Yeah, Bella?"

"...Never mind, it was a stupid thought," Bella said after a while.

"No, what?" Jasper pressed, smiling lightly as he closed his eyes, just listening to her voice.

"Do you think I could get a pet without your family eating it?"

Unable to help himself, Jasper burst out into roars of laughter; almost as though his power worked over the phone, Bella started giggling. Jasper's laughter stopped soon, though, and he listened to Bella's soft, lovely giggles. He'd never fallen in love with someone before, and he quite liked the feeling. With Alice, it had been a whirlwind, instantaneous, seemingly perfect. With Bella, it was different. Smoother, quieter. It suited him quite well.

"I don't know, Bella. Do you want a pet?"

"I've always wanted to adopt some kind of animal. I don't know what kind, though. I've never had a pet," Bella admitted, grinning to herself. She'd never been able to have one during childhood because Renee hated cats, and Charlie was allergic.

"I'm sure they wouldn't eat it," Jasper reassured.

"Really?" Bella asked with a grin.

"Really really. I can assure you Esme wouldn't let them."

Bella laughed softly, then yawned. "Hey, Jasper, it was great talking and all, but I really need to sleep."

Jasper opened his mouth to reply, but Alice suddenly next to him; he flinched back as she brushed her fingers across his, taking the phone from him.

"Bella," Alice said blandly.

"Yes, Alice?" Bella asked a tad impatiently. Jasper hadn't said goodbye, and she wanted to hear his voice one last time before she slept.

"Come over tomorrow; I need to go over some arrangements for the wedding." Jasper flinched gently, hearing mention of the wedding.

Alice's voice was seriously getting on Bella's nerves. "All right," Bella said easily, yawning again. "Can you put Jasper on the phone again?"

"No," Alice said simply, snapping the phone shut and throwing it at Jasper, who growled softly at her. Alice looked at him with large, venom-glossed golden eyes. "Jazz," she whispered softly. Jasper shook his head and got up, brushing past her. Once outside in the fresh air, he took a few deep, unnecessary breaths before running out into the night, deciding on his first actual hunt since the slip up.

**xxxx**

Bella arrived at the Cullen house around ten the next morning; it shocked her when she was not wrapped in Jasper's cold embrace. Honestly, she was a bit disappointed, but she didn't show it as she walked into the kitchen where Rosalie, Esme, and Alice were gathered.

"Hi, Bella!" Esme greeted with a tender hug.

Bella smiled tiredly at the motherly vampire and hugged back. "Hey, Esme."

"You look like shit," Rosalie stated, staring at Bella with a slight smile.

"You say that like I don't already know," Bella retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Bella, you're getting married in a month; you need to get your shit together and actually start trying to care about what you look like. I can only do so much," Alice spat, glaring at Bella with malice.

That sent Bella into a fit of laughter that had her bracing herself on the counter and clutching her stomach. Jasper, who was just getting back from his hunting trip, smelled Bella's scent and felt her amusement, and ran to her instantly, unable to hold back the look of pure joy on his face when he saw her in the kitchen.

"Bella!" Jasper exclaimed happily. Bella looked up, still laughing, and grinned broadly at Jasper.

"Hey, Jasper," she greeted, skipping over to him and hugging him smoothly.

Rosalie tilted her head to the side as she watched the pair; they fit together perfectly as they hugged, almost as though their bodies were made for one another. Like they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit together snugly, perfectly. It all fit together right then and there. The purring. The happiness. The ease that they had when they were together. Bella and Jasper were mates. No one even noticed her slip away, or if they did, they said nothing.

In an instant, Rosalie was inside Carlisle study, staring at her blonde father figure with blazing eyes.

"You knew," she accused.

Carlisle ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. I only realized yesterday. We should have noticed sooner."

"She's getting married in a month and a half, Carlisle," Rosalie sighed, sinking down into the chair across from him.

"I know," Carlisle responded, running his hands through his hair again.

"What do we do?"

"We let Bella make her decision. No matter what she does, she'll hurt someone. I don't even know if she knows."

"We have to tell her! If she marries Edward and notices, then what? We have to bring this to attention."

"Rosalie," Carlisle sighed softly, "we can't interfere. Let it play out. One of them will notice."

Rosalie, completely furious with her father figure and his aversion of the subject, stormed outside to work on her car.

Inside the house, Alice was screeching at Bella and Jasper, who were wrapped up in their own little world. Alice stared at the pair, finally quieting. Her heart broke; she knew she was being overbearing and possessive, but she just couldn't help it. Although she may seem like the bad guy, and that's how she meant to come off, she was really just a person with a broken heart.

The first thing Alice saw when becoming a vampire was Jasper and their future. Jasper had lead her to him, and they completed each other, guided each other. However, she felt helpless now, and it wasn't just because her power was on the fritz.

Alice was losing everything she once held dear, and it killed her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another shittastic chapter. the ending was really shitty, and i was going to cut it off after Rosalie's exit, but I decided that I needed Alice's insight on all of this. It's short, I know, but whatever. I plan to update one last time before I leave, on Wednesday morning. I leave Wednesday morning. When I get back, though, I'll have some chapters written out and stuff, then I'll update. **

**uh, yeah, useless information. **

**I'll leave you all now. Show that review button love like always. **

**-Claire**


	7. King of Anything

**You sound so innocent, **

**All full of good intent, **

**swear you know best. **

**But you expect me to jump on board with you, **

**Ride off into your delusional sunset. **

**I'm not the one who's lost. **

**...**

Bella and Jasper were sitting on the porch; Jasper's head was in Bella's lap as they argued lazily over the pet that Bella was going to get. Jasper insisted a dog, and Bella said a cat.

"Cats are lazy; they won't play with you" Jasper drawled.

"I could say the same thing about you. I guess I'm drawn to laziness," Bella teased, running her fingers through his hair.

Playfully, Jasper nipped at her finger, making Bella laugh, something he aimed to do every day; he loved to hear her bubbly laugh. It mesmerized him, drew him to her.

"Fine, a cat it is."

"I am victorious!" Bella cheered, touching her pointer finger to his cool nose. Jasper took her hand gently in his, threading their fingers tenderly and gazing at their conjoined hands.

"Bella," Jasper said softly, gazing up at the beautiful brunette who's wide, brown, innocent eyes gazed down at him.

"Yes?" Bella asked, grinning gently down at him, her eyes shimmering softly.

Jasper opened his mouth to reply, but he cut off when a sleek, black, unfamiliar car pulled into the drive. Curiosity rolled off Bella as Jasper got roughly to his feet, taking a protective stance in front of her.

"Bella, stay there," Jasper instructed lowly, his voice rough.

Bella frowned deeply, and as predicted, got up, placing her hand tenderly on Jasper's elbow.

"Jasper," she said quietly, "what is it?"

"Marcus," Jasper said softly, his voice hardly above a whisper looking down at her with unfathomable gold eyes.

As soon as the name fell from his lips, the entire Cullen family was on the porch. Carlisle, of coarse, was front and center, Esme at his side; Rosalie and Emmett were off to the left. Alice and Edward shifted Bella and Jasper apart, though both stood on the side of Alice and Edward that would make them the closest, just out of touching range.

As the ranks were formed, Marcus exited the sleek car, his dead eyes flipping through the faces, the relationships. He began to walk forward, but as his eyes rested in the space between Jasper and Bella, he stopped dead in his tracks. For a moment, there was a spark in his eyes; a spark of hope and amusement.

"Interesting." Marcus's voice was hardly above a breathy whisper, but for once it held some emotion. "Their bond." He practically floated closer, gliding over the grass; he came to a stop near Carlisle and Esme, though it appeared as though he did not see them. The burgundy eyes of Marcus sought nothing else but Bella and Jasper.

"Marcus, dear friend," Carlisle greeted, his voice cool and collected. "What an unexpected sur-" Marcus rose his hand, effectively cutting off Carlisle's pleasantries.

"If you'll excuse me. Isabella, Jasper, please come here," Marcus breathed.

Bella's heartbeat picked up slightly, but Marcus did not seem to notice this. With unaccustomed grace, Bella walked down the porch steps, brushing Carlisle's free hand as she went, reassuring him silently as only she could. The two shared a brief look, something flowing between the two that no one could define. Carlisle took a small step back, allowing Jasper, who was half a step behind, and Bella to stand in front of Marcus. The two did not touch, nor did they speak; both looked at Marcus, burning with curiosity.

Marcus's dead burgundy eyes stared at the space between the two, seeing the dynamics of their relationship. Never, in all of his years alive, had he seen a bond this strong. He had seen every relationship, every emotional tie that one could give, but never had he seen their kind of bond. It was remarkably strong, unbreakable; he was convinced that not even Chelsea could have broken this bond. These two would die for each other, kill for each other; they could live solely on each other. They could sustain themselves on each other. They were literally two halves of a soul, two halves of a whole. They encompassed the thing that every mated couple should be.

_The word mate, though,_ Marcus countered himself musingly, _is hardly sufficient to define their relationship. It hardly skims the top. I have never seen this in all of my years. _

"Remarkable," Marcus breathed, his eyes dancing with a spark of delight.

"What?" Carlisle inquired from behind.

"Their bond is remarkable, Carlisle, dear friend. I have never seen anything like it in all of my years," Marcus stared at the human and the notorious vampire, his eyes unfathomable. "Cherish your time together, young ones. Never let a moment go to waste. Eternity together isn't long enough, I assure you, and it can be cut short at any time."

There was a collective gasp from behind.

"Marcus," Edward barked, "they have no bond. They are simply friends, despite the dangerousness in Bella's part. They are friends, and nothing more."

Marcus looked at the young, cocky mind reader, an amused and bemused smile on his lips. "Are you really that daft, child?"

"What are you talking about?" Edward snarled.

Carlisle turned and glared at his son. There was no reason to get violent or rude, and quite frankly, Edward's behavior toward everyone, specifically Jasper and Bella, was getting on his last nerve.

Marcus barked out a laugh, but punctuated it with a soft growl, letting him know that he was not in the mood for toying about.

"I came here as a correspondent for my brothers, but I find that this is too interesting to ruin prematurely. Continue with your plans to change Isabella on your own time. I shall protect her humanity until...after Edward and Isabella's wedding, no?" Marcus gazed at the family to confirm his assumption.

"Yes," Bella said softly, her voice strong, almost without fear.

"I shall protect your humanity until after the wedding, Isabella." A soft, almost fatherly smile graced Marcus's lips for the first time in centuries.

Bella gave Marcus a brilliant smile. "Thank you very much…," Bella trailed off, not knowing exactly what to call him. She did not want to disrespect him, so she knew not what to address him as.

Marcus smiled uncharacteristically; he found that, like Didyme, Isabella made him, as well as people around her, smile and by jovial. It was a unique thing, and he hoped that eventually, in her own eternal life, she could continue to bring happiness. He made a silent note to visit Isabella or she him when she was granted with immortality.

"You may call me Marcus."

Bella smiled brightly, her eyes dancing with amusement; she was quite taken with Marcus. Not in any romantic way, but rather a fatherly or rather a grandfatherly way, for Marcus was thousands of years her senior.

"Thank you, Marcus. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Marcus bowed his head softly. "Consider it my wedding gift to you."

Bella smiled charmingly at him, leaning toward him and brushing her lips across his cool, soft cheek. Once again, there was a collective gasp.

"You do not fit in with your brothers, Marcus. You are remarkable in your compassion," Bella said softly. She rocked back softly onto both feet and smiled at Marcus, who couldn't help but smile back.

"You are a remarkable human, Isabella. I look forward to your eternal life and what you bring with it."

Bella grinned broadly. "You're not the only one."

Marcus smiled slightly back at her and kissed her forehead, murmuring, _"Addio, mio giovane umano, il mio dolce bambino. Sarete sempre i benvenuti nella mia casa."_

Bella smiled softly, though she knew not what he said. "Goodbye, Marcus," she replied softly.

The entire Cullen-Hale party watched the regal Marcus go back to his car, then depart from Forks.

"I've never seen Marcus that much emotion," Carlisle breathed, shocked.

"Bella must have some odd talent with strange vampires," Alice said sourly.

Bella rolled her eyes slightly. "Yeah, sure, doll. Maybe."

Alice shot Bella a glare. "I'm really getting tired of you, Bella," Alice said sourly.

Bella pressed her lips together. "Why am I not surprised? It already happened once. You got tired of me, all of you did, and you left me behind. You gonna do that again, Alice? Just gonna start ditching me when you get bored of me?" Bella snarked, her eyes cooling into angry pools of chocolate.

Everyone flinched, even Rosalie. No one could believe that Bella had thrown that in their faces. Alice, of all people.

Alice, malicious as ever, smirked at Bella.

"You know, Bella, that's not a bad idea. First, you go after Edward, and you get him. Is he not enough for you, so now you're going after Jasper?'

A soft noise reverberated in Bella's chest, and Jasper soon recognized it as a growl.

"Back the fuck off, Alice, seriously. I'm not in the mood for your shit. There's no reason to be a bitch because your power isn't working. You rely too much on it; you know, I'm glad that your power isn't working. It's teaching you what it's like to be a normal person with normal abilities. You think that you're superior because you have a power. Well, Alice Cullen, you can go fuck yourself.

"And while I'm bitching at you, I'd find it highly beneficial for you to stay the fuck out of my relationship with Edward. I'm helping Jasper through a rough patch. If you'd rather him still be in the study, being stoic and trapped in his own personal hell, by all means, say so. Prove that you're more selfish than I originally thought. Prove that you don't deserve Jasper. Prove that you're pathetic and needy. Prove that you're possessive and can't change. Do it."

Bella never raised her voice, nor did she use any kind of inflection; her voice was deathly silent and calm, her eyes staring into Alice's without a hint of fear or regret.

Alice flinched back softly. "I can honestly say that right now I hate you, Bella."

Bella smiled sickly sweet. "The feeling's mutual, Pix."

Alice curled her lips back in a fearsome, blood curdling snarl; Bella, however, was unmoved, simply keeping the smile in place.

Jasper came up behind Bella and lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, Bella," he said softly, guiding her inside.

"Jasper," Alice whimpered.

Jasper didn't look back, and neither did Bella; she was _so _over Alice. Edward followed closely behind the pair, his brows creasing deeply as he looked between the two.

He realized that he couldn't read Jasper's mind; it was almost as though Bella's power had extended to Jasper.

The lack of his mind-reading ability toward Jasper really concerned him. He couldn't help but wonder:

_Will things with Bella and I ever be the same again?_

Though he did not know it, the answer was obvious. No. Things would never be the same between them again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, this is the last update I'll give ya'll before my vacation. :3 I'm leaving in six hours...I should get some sleep. I'm not going to check my email until I get to my hotel room tomorrow evening. Reviews inspire me to write. **

**This chapter's idea was given to me by NatalieLynn; I didn't go by her suggestion perfectly because I have my idea for the wedding. Epicness will be the wedding. when I come back, two chapters will probably be posted. **

**tell me, if I posted one chapter, then the wedding, would things be moving too fast?**

**Do you want more Bella/Jasper before the wedding? **

**tell me what you want in future chapters and shit. **

**I love you all. **

**-Claire**

**PS: the italian translates to: Goodbye, my young human, my sweet child. You will always be welcome in my home. **


	8. Realize

**Take time to realize that I am on your side. **

**Didn't I, didn't I tell you?**

**But I can't spell it out for you. **

**No, it's never gonna be that simple.**

**... **

Esme, along with Bella and Rosalie, sat at the kitchen table, each of them speaking on the phone in quick, quiet tones. Alice and Edward (the latter quite reluctantly, practically having to be dragged off by a crazed Alice) left early in the morning to hunt, and they weren't due back until the wedding. Because Alice had primarily been planning the event, no one else really knew what she had planned, so the three women had been working to finalize everything and make sure that everything that was supposed to be there was going to arrive.

Though no one really noticed, Bella was acting out of character; she did not laugh and joke with Esme as she normally would. It was almost as though she felt that the task of planning her own wedding was more of a chore than something enjoyable. Once she realized this, she couldn't get it out of her head. Was she getting cold feet? Why did she feel that way? It was her wedding, for christsakes; she was getting married to the man of her dreams. However, a small voice in her head countered her last thought.

_Is Edward really the man of your dreams? Is he? He left you once already. _

_But he came back, _Bella thought back to the internal worrying voice.

_Would he have come back if you hadn't tried to kill yourself? _

Bella had no response to the question. It simply echoed in her mind, the alternate fate flashing before her eyes in a blur.

Soon, she came to her startling, gut-wrenching conclusion: No. If she hadn't jumped from the cliff, if that hadn't set off the following sequence of events, Edward wouldn't have returned.

The prospect of living a life without Edward wasn't what plagued her mind. Rather, entertaining the mere idea of a life lived without Jasper gave her blinding pains through her entire being, knocking the breath out of her.

Esme seemed to notice Bella's distress. "Dear, are you all right?" Esme worried, looking at her newest daughter with nothing less than motherly love and concern.

"Yes." Despite her best efforts, Bella couldn't keep the stress and pain from her voice. "I'm just a little overwhelmed." It wasn't a _complete_ lie.

_Whatever helps you sleep at night, _Bella's darker half sneered, rearing its ugly head again.

Esme looked at her sympathetically, a soft smile on her lips. "Of coarse, dear; Rose and I will finish up the calls. You go and get some air."

Bella was only too happy to oblige; she practically sprinted outside. Once there, she turned her face to the sky and inhaled slow and deep, marveling in the soft sting the crisp air brought to her lungs. It was almost as though she small shock of pain had soothed her. She inhaled again, her lungs automatically wincing at the biting air. Yes, the pain definitely soothed her, helped her focus.

Unbeknownst to Bella, Jasper had approached a while back and watched her interestedly; she was gorgeous in her candid moments, more so than any other time. Soft lavender lids veiled her stunning, wide brown eyes from him, making him pout internally. Though her stance was casual, maybe even a bit slouched, her face was the farthest thing from casual, peaceful.

Her shaped brows pulled together, puckering the skin between them, and her plump, pink lips were pressed together in a soft frown. At seeing her frown, his own mouth turned down in a deep frown. What was she thinking? Why was she up set?

Hesitantly, Jasper walked to her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist from behind. For a split second, she stiffened, but her body, recognizing the distinct grip of Jasper's arms, soon relaxed into him. Bella leaned her head softly against his chest, sighing gently.

"Hey, darlin'," Jasper drawled, resting his chin atop her head. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Bella sighed gently. "Just overwhelmed.

Jasper nodded understandingly. "I remember my ma planning my big sister's wedding," he suddenly recalled. "Every female in the house was on edge 'fore the whole damn thing even happened."

Bella smiled slightly, softly; she enjoyed hearing about Jasper's human life. It made her feel closer to him, which she loved.

"What was her name?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Bella regretted them. She knew that the pain of the change and the radical differences in every aspect of 'life' really muddled the memories of the human memories the mind held.

Jasper thought for a moment. "Well, I think I had four sisters…"-Jasper paused for thought- "Yes, four. That's right. It was Ruth that was intending to get married. I left for the army before she actually got wed." Jasper's deep bass voice had taken on a deep Texan drawl; he clearly had put his walls down. The accent he tried daily to cover up (A thing Bella had never understood; his accent made Jasper...well, Jasper, and she thought he should be proud of that.) was at out and proud. He was practically flaunting it. She loved it.

Bella grinned softly, listening to his soothing voice as he recalled facts about his human life.

"Do you think it's possible that they're alive, that they're vampires?" Bella asked curiously, twisting softly to look up at him.

Jasper looked down at her, a light frown on his lips. "Of coarse it's _possible_, but I rather hope they're not. Odds are, if they were changed they would have gone through the Ward. I would never want my family, any of them, to have gone through that kind of hell."

Bella sunk her dull teeth gently into her bottom lip before turning and wrapping her arms securely around his solid waist, pressing her face into his chest. She inhaled deeply, filling her senses with his woodsy, spicy, and all together mouthwatering scent.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," Bella said softly, worrying at her bottom lip.

"And if they were changed and perhaps they _did_ go through the wars, odds are slim that they made it past the first year," Jasper said, his voice hard and devoid of any emotion.

Bella tightened her arms around him. "Jasper, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring anything bad up." Bella placed a light little kiss on his collar. "Let's go somewhere. I need to clear my mind." To get his mind off his painful past, Bella changed the subject.

Jasper looked down at her, his gold eyes dark. When their eyes met, though, his eyes lightened in hue, and he nearly smiled at her.

"All right, come on; we'll go for a drive." Jasper grasped her hand, swallowing the small extremity in his expansive grasp. Seeing as this had been one of the only times that Jasper had held her hand, Bella took notice that his hand was not smooth and polished, without blemishes. Rather, it was rough, yet somehow unyieldingly gentle and calloused, yet soft and loving.

It blew her mind, quite honestly, but she said nothing of the matter. Bella simply smiled brightly up at him and let him lead her to his Ducati, the one Edward had bought, intending on beginning to ride with her. Out of the situation with Edward, Bella found that she quite enjoyed the idea of riding the bike, especially with Jasper.

Jasper swung his long legs over the bike, his worn cowboy boots resting on the pegs of the bike. Looking over his shoulder, Jasper raised a brow at the beautiful, fresh faced human.

"You comin' darlin'?" he drawled, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

Bella grinned easily and straddled the bike with surprising fluidity, her body molding to his with ease. Then, they were off; Bella laughed out of pure adrenaline and happiness as she tucked her face into his shoulder blade. Her warm arms slipped around his waist, and Jasper couldn't help but lean back into her warm, pleasurable touch. Despite this, this bike never veered from the road they travelled.

The two drove for a while before they stopped in front of the movie theater in Port Angeles. This shocked Bella; with the comfort of Jasper's body in front of her, the ease of it-almost as though it was natural and right-the drive seemed short. She found that she didn't want to move her body from his.

Jasper hopped lithely off the bike, taking Bella gently by her waist and placing her on the ground. For a moment, she swayed on her feet, and Jasper gently gripped her waist again to keep her steady. Bella flashed him a brilliant, toothy grin and kissed his cool cheek gently, sending an enjoyable shock down his spine.

"Oh my gosh, Bella!" a very loud nasal voice sounded from behind. Jasper glanced around Bella and got an eyeful of one Jessica Stanley, accompanied by the one and only Mike Newton. Jasper pretended not to notice as he exchanged a glance with Bella who looked exasperated. Bella took a deep breath and forced a large smile, turning to face the two.

"Hey, guys," Bella greeted with very well done false enthusiasm. Jasper stepped up beside her, taking her hand gently in his. Once again, Bella marveled in the contradicting feels to his hand, and again did not bring it to any special attention.

This show of affection did not escape Jessica's gossip-hungry eyes. "Jasper, right? You're Rosalie's twin brother, right? I'm Jessica." Jessica's small, rather piggy blue eyes glanced between the two in front of her.

"Yes, that's right. Nice to meet you." It actually wasn't nice to meet her; Jasper honestly would have been happy to have never meet this pathetic human in her short life, but shit happens. Though the encounter hadn't lasted more than three minutes, Jasper was getting impatient and just wanted to see a movie with Bella.

"Wow, Bella. You look pretty great!" Mike enthused, giving her a once-over with a surge of lust. A deep grown reverberated in Jasper's chest at this; Bella lightly placed a hand on his chest, shaking her head minutely.

"Thanks, Mike," Bella said, less than flattered.

"So, your wedding is in three weeks, eh? Excited?" Jessica's hungry eyes shifted between Bella and Jasper still, looking for any piece of a gossip she could snap up.

"Yeah. Really excited. It's overwhelming, though, but I guess that's expected." Bella forced a slight smile; her hand tightened around Jasper's. Suddenly, Bella noticed that Jessica's eyes were straying to her midsection. Upon noticing this, Bella blanched, then flamed Red.

_Everyone thinks Edward knocked me up. I knew this would happen. Fucking podunk towns. This is what I get, _Bella thought with twisted amusement, a smirk twisting up her lips slightly.

"Bella's not pregnant, Jessica," Jasper all but barked at her. At the tone of his voice, jessica flinched back, cheeks flaming a deep red that could rival Bella's deep blushes. Venom pooled in Jasper's mouth at the scent of her blood and fear, both strengthening by the other. A low growl started in Jasper's chest again, and Bella's head snapped up, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Dude, you okay?" Mike asked Jasper uneasily, backing away slowly.

Fearing if Jasper spoke or even opened his mouth, he'd make some kind of unearthly sound, Bella jumped in and answered for him.

"He's in a bad mood today, and he's hungry. He's in a fight with Alice. C'mon, Jasper, let's go. Don't get mad at my friends." Bella threw in the last bit for good measure, trying to smooth things out. With gentle hands, Bella tugged Jasper back to the bike. The two were gone within moments.

"What a weird dude," Mike muttered, chuckling uneasily. Jessica recovered slowly from being flustered. She _had _to tell everyone back in town. Everyone relied on her for gossip, and who was she to deny them?

**xxxx**

Bella and Jasper arrived soon enough on the outskirts of town. Before the bike was even stopped, Jasper had hopped off, making Bella have to scramble to stop safely and not crash. She, too, soon hopped off the bike, looking worriedly at Jasper who's back was to her. Without a moment's hesitation, Bella stroke up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to his shoulder blade, a motion that held reminiscence of when they first got on the bike. However, in that prior situation, Jasper did not feel the hunger for blood or the kill as he did in the latter situation. Bella's fingers slowly splayed across his abdomen, and she noticed that he wasn't breathing.

"Jasper, talk to me. What happened back there?" Bella prodded softly. She needed him to talk to her; she needed to hear his voice, to make sure he was all right. Jasper shook his head silently, still not breathing nor moving. Bella tightened her arms around him. "Jasper, you know you can tell me anything, right? I like to think that you can trust me; you've let me in once, let me in again. Please."

Jasper said nothing for a long while before exhaling in a large breath. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, but not soft by any means. His tone was clipped and blunt. "I was thinking about killing your _friends_ back there. I'm not a good person, Bella. My slip-up in Seattle, there have been dozens of others. I've killed more people than you've ever seen. Thousands. Not all innocent, but human nonetheless.

"I think about killing all the time, Bella. After a century in war, you can't help these things. They take over your body and more importantly, your mind. You look at someone, regardless of who they are, and you can't help but consider a scenario in which you might have to kill that person, and if you even had the capability, the strength, the bravery to do so. It takes you over on levels you can't imagine." When he was through, his chest heaved with unneeded breath, and he was a few feet from Bella; just realizing this, her arms slumped uselessly to her sides.

Bella stood still for a few long moments, mulling over what had been said to her. When her brain had processed everything, she walked to Jasper, wrapping her arms around his neck and shifted up onto her toes, lifting herself to look him in the eye.

"Jasper, you realize I don't care about that, right? You're Jasper, and you're an amazing man that I've had the extraordinary privilege to get to know over the past months. Nothing you can tell me or say to me will make me think any less of you. Do you understand me?"

Jasper and Bella stared at each other for a long while, both trying to read the other. Eventually, Jasper nodded slowly. His nod of acceptance brought a broad smile to her full, pink lips.

"You're either crazy or completely remarkable," Jasper mumbled, pulling her flush against him, reveling in her warmth.

A soft smile twitched at Bella's lips. "I walk on that fine line. I practically swagger...or perhaps I stagger, seeing how clumsy I am," Bella mused, pushing her face into his cold, stone chest.

Jasper laughed, deep in his chest, making it vibrate pleasantly under Bella's cheek. With that, he scooped her up in his arms.

"Come on, princess. It seems about time to feed the human, yes?" Jasper grinned down at her as her stomach practically roared its approval, making Bella's cheeks flame crimson.

And then, almost as though someone had shed this light, this brilliant, all knowing, resilient light, on his entire existence, Jasper realized something. He loved Isabella Swan. He loved every little thing she did; he loved her smile, her laugh, the way she said his name. He was completely and hopelessly in love with her. And she was marrying his "brother" in three weeks. Bella, oblivious to his epiphany, arched her brows delicately up at him with a bemused smile.

"You look as though you've seen the holy ghost," Bella offered with a smile.

Jasper shook his head softly, clearing his mind and kissing her flaming cheeks.

"Just realized something is all. No need to worry. I haven't seen the light quite just yet," Jasper teased back.

"All right," Bella agreed, sated with her supplied information for the moment.

Jasper got on the bike and drove somewhere Bella could eat, his mind swimming as he drove, thoughts of Bella dancing through his mind at vampiric speed and precision. Thought of what their lives could be like together.

Thoughts of times that could never, could never be. That realization made his dead heart twinge painfully and his stomach roll.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Firstly: What's up fuckers? It's been, what, almost two weeks? I got two fucking chapters done. Whoop-dee-fucking-do. So, this is the first chapter that I wrote on vacation. The second will be out tomorrow.**

**Secondly: After much consideration, I have decided I'm not going to go through with the wedding. I mean, Bella was never going to go through with it, but the wedding's not going to even start...anyway. Yeah. that'll be in a few chapters.**

**Thirdly{is that even a fuckin' word?}: **I had a story idea over my vacation. **I just want ya'lls opinions on a Bella/Rosalie story. :3**

**Fourthly-is that even a word?-{for those two give half a flying fuck.}: Ohmygod. My vacation was absolutely amazing. I went to Boston, primarily, with a few stops on the way up and the way back. I fell in love with Boston, and I'm currently saving up to move there, circumstances permitting, eventually. I stopped at Gettysburg and Sharpsburg on the way back to indulge my history buff side. At the former, I got two books,_ Gods and Generals_ and _The Last Full Measure_, both by Jeff Shaara, son of the author of the wonderful book _Killer Angels_. Both _Gods and Generals_ and _Th_**_e Last Full Measure_** are signed by him. :3 They're not personalized, though. Just signed. there was this little section that had signed books and I indulged myself. :3 Anyhow, I'm done with this excessively long author's note.**

**Peace out, fuckers. :3**

**PS: when I say fuckers, I mean my lovely readers who I adore with a passion and wish I could personally hug with every review. I do not mean that in any offensive way. It's my term of endearment. Fuckers. :3**


	9. I'll Fight for You

**For all of my life, **

**Every time I look at you, **

**I keep tellin' myself, **

**You're the one thing I just can't lose.**

**…**

"Jasper!" Bella called enthusiastically, her chocolate eyes dancing in excitement. With surprising grace, she loped to the Texan vampire. Unable to help himself, a huge grin turned up his lips, his skin dimpling adorably in his cheeks, lighting up his entire face. Bella was intending to slam into him, but Jasper grabbed herby the waist and spun her around. Surprised and delighted, giggles tumbled from her lips; Jasper laughed with her, his deep, throaty chuckles harmonizing with hers musically.

"Hey there, darlin'," Jasper chuckled, finally setting her back on her feet. Bella grabbed his hand (She found that she'd become quite smitten with his hands. They were amazing.) with a large grin.

**Our love runs so deeply, **

**Can't you feel it in your heart? **

"Come on. You, Em, and Carlisle's tuxes came today. Esme, Rosalie, and I got them and ya'll are trying them on for us. Edward's hasn't come in yet, but that doesn't matter 'cause he's hunting and stuff. Plus, even if he was here and the tux was in, Rosalie says that I shouldn't see him in his tux beforehand just like he shouldn't see me in my dress before the wedding. But," Bella babbled quickly, and Jasper almost had to strain to catch everything she said, "there's not rule against me seein' ya'll and everyone else seein you, so come on!" Bella tugged on his hand, toward the house. Jasper couldn't help but grin broadly. His southern slang was rubbing off on Bella, and he liked it. Jasper laughed easily and let her tug him inside; when they got inside, Emmett and Carlisle were being told about their tux try-ons. Emmett was none too thrilled; Carlisle was in the same boat.

"But, Rosie," Emmett complained, pulling out his puppy dog eyes and adorable dimples. He never used his puppy dog eyes...ever. Clearly, he was desperate.

No matter how sophisticated he may have been, Carlisle absolutely hated suits, especially tuxedos. When he had to go to black tie events for the numerous hospitals had worked at, it took much convincing on Esme's part to get him prepared and acceptable.

"Esme, dear, our bodies don't change. We don't gain or lose weight. Plus, we've already had the alterations done, so we know they fit." Carlisle could tell his logic was working; it was flawless, and Esme couldn't deny he was correct. Carlisle knew he had won, or soon would.

"Yeah," Emmett agreed readily, nodding vigorously.

Sensing the losing battle, Bella stepped into the ring.

"You're right, Carlisle,"-Carlisle grinned victoriously.-"but will you do it for me?"

Bella looked at Emmett and Carlisle with large, innocent, puppy dog eyes. Nothing that anyone could have said or any logic that could have been thrown at them would have worn on the two more than Bella's innocent doe eyes and a simple request.

_Bella never asks anyone for anything, and now she's asking for us to try on the tuxes. Of coarse. Evil woman. A wolf in sheep's clothing, _Carlisle thought sarcastically with a small smile.

"Fine," Carlisle and Emmett sighed together.

Bella's innocent expression instantly split into a large, shit eating grin, a smirk in her eyes. Carlisle and Emmett knew they had been fooled. With her grin in place, she bounced to them and placed kisses on their cheeks.

"Love you guys," Bella giggled as the two trudged up the stairs.

**'Cause girl, we got somethin' **

**That no one can tear apart.**

Jasper came up behind her, snagging his arms around her. "You're devious," he murmured, kissing her ear before he zipped up the stairs. When Bella finally looked from the vacant stairs, she was greeted with the staring golden eyes of Esme and Rosalie. Rosalie's were cold and angry, while Esme's eyes were confused. Bella could see the thoughts running about Esme head in her eyes; the human looked away from their piercing eyes with a blush.

"I'm going to get my things from the car," Bella muttered, walking outside to her truck. She got inside the cab, started the truck, and drove home. Her world was getting turned upside down and she didn't know what to do.

Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper were dressing upstairs, trying to help each other out, when Esme and Rosalie walked in. Esme turned her golden eyes to Carlisle, and they were surprisingly angry.

"You knew," she accused her mate, stalking toward him. Carlisle gulped, his eyes widening. "You knew all along."

"No, Esme. I promise. Not all along. I didn't say anything because it's not _our _lives, not our business," Carlisle tried to reason with her.

"How are our sons' lives not our lives?" Esme asked, her voice ripping through octaves rapidly, making everyone cringe. Jasper shifted uncomfortably before changing at vampire speed and running off in search of Bella.

"Esme, it's her choice, not ours. We shouldn't interfere," Carlisle argued, his brows pulling together and creasing his marble skin.

"The pull is too strong. If she goes through with it, you _do _realize that she's going to have to leave him, or live in agony with him." Esme's voice broke. No matter how anything went, one of her sons and her human daughter were going to get hurt.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the damn phone. What the hell are you guys talking about?" Emmett demanded, crossing his muscular arms over his barreled chest.

"Jasper and Bella are mates," Rosalie informed her husband with a cold, uncaring tone.

Emmett's eyes bulged as he stared at Rosalie. Eventually, after holding his breath, he exhaled. "That's heavy."

The four in the room exchanged glances.

"We have to tell them; she can't go through with the wedding if they're mates," Emmett voiced, agreeing with his pseudo-mother.

"But who are we to tell Bella what she can and cannot do?" Carlisle countered.

"If they're really mates," Rosalie offered, "then Bella won't be able to go through with the wedding."

"But if she doesn't know about mates, the signals of destined mates, then she will. We all know that Jasper won't tell her, or force her into anything. She'll go through with the wedding, then, however far down the line, once she's changed, she'll realize that and regret the whole thing," Esme argued.

"this is ultimately Bella's decision. We should tell her about mates, and what that entitles, then let her piece things together, make the decision," Carlisle suggested.

"If she's that smart," Rosalie muttered.

Although Esme and Emmett were still unsure, they also agreed.

_Bella has a few life altering decisions to make. No pressure li'l' sis_, Emmett chuckled internally.

Things were gonna get real ugly real fast.

**xxxx**

Jasper found Bella's truck fifteen miles out of town, but Bella was nowhere to be seen. After inhaling deeply through his nose, he caught her sugary sweet strawberry and freesia scent, and followed it. He found her a few miles into the woods, sitting on a large boulder, her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking softly. She made no noise other than her shaky breaths and heartbeat. With a simple inhale, Jasper knew she was crying; he could smell the salt in the air.

In an instant, he was at her side, his arms around her. Her body relaxed involuntarily into his arms; when she realized this, she pushed him away, her crying intensifying.

"Darlin'?" Jasper asked worriedly, toughing her shoulder. She flinched back from him; his heart felt as though it had been ripped out of his chest, stomped on, then set ablaze.

**I'm tellin' you now, **

**This love, it just can't be wrong. **

"Stop, Jasper. Just please stop. I'm so confused right now, and you're making it worse," Bella said brokenly. Jasper's heart broke for her.

"Can I do anything, Bella?" he pleaded.

"Leave me alone, please." Bella broke down, her fingers threading into her own hair, sobbing harder.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, darlin'," Jasper said softly, kneeling down in front of her, removing her hands from her hair and enveloping them into his large hands.

"Jasper," Bella begged, raising her head to stare at him. Her beautiful brown eyes were blood shot and her cheeks were dirty, but her tears had cleared the path for more tears. Jasper noticed, then, that she was filthy; her hair was matted with mud, and there were twigs and leaves woven haphazardly in her hair. Her clothes were caked in mud; the knees of her jeans, too, were especially dirty, as though she had fallen repeatedly.

"Oh, Bella," Jasper murmured, stroking some of her stiff hair from her face.

"I'm so scared, Jasper. Everything is changing; I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I had everything I wanted, or would soon. I'm not sure about anything. It's all confusing. Before, when I thought about my future, I thought about myself with the family, finally a vampire. Now, it's so uncertain..._I'm _so uncertain. Everything feels wrong." Bella looked up at Jasper, her eyes, flooded with tears, silently begging him for help.

**I won't give you up, **

**'cause I've waited to long for love. **

Unable to do anything else, Jasper wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him, and letting her sob into his shirt, which she did. Shifting her into this lap, his arms tightened around her.

"Everything is going to be fine, darlin'," Jasper assured, rubbing her arms softly to warm her up. Bella pressed her body to his, finding comfort in his moderately warm body and addicting hands. Idly, she wondered why she loved the feel of his hands and why his body was warm to her, but her sobs and light gasps for air coupled with Jasper's arms tight around her made it rather hard for her to do anything that resembled speaking in any way.

It tok her a while to calm down, but eventually she did. Bella did not budge, though; she stayed wrapped up in his arms for an immeasurable amount of time before Jasper broke the silence.

"Darlin'?" Jasper asked in a soft, tender tone. Bella flicked her eyes up to him, blinking slowly once before nodding slightly, indicating for him to go on. "Do you want me to take you back to the house" He then noticed that she was shivering, her body pressed tightly to his, her teeth chattering softly. Silently, she nodded. Jasper got to his feet, holding her bridal style. Pausing for a moment, he shifted her precariously into one arm as he opened his jacket up before tucking her gently into his jacket, flush against his body, then zipped up the jacket. Bella relaxed easily into him, feeling warmer already. "Hold on tight," he commanded softly.

"Thank you," Bella sighed gratefully, wrapping her arms around him. Jasper smiled tenderly and kissed her forehead.

"Anytime." With that, they were off, bypassing Bella's truck and going straight to the Cullen house on foot. Sometime in their short journey, Bella had fallen asleep. Before they'd taken off, Jasper had known she was exhausted; he knew she hadn't been sleeping well and crying tuckered her out. Jasper paused outside the house, smiling lovingly down at the girl he loved.

Esme and Emmett, along with Carlisle and Rosalie right behind, rushed out of the house. Questions flew from everyone's mouthes at the same time.

"If she hurt?"

"Where the fuck have you been?"

"If she finally dead?"

"I'll go draw a bath and make some food."

Jasper almost cracked a smile at the four members of his family.

"No, she's not hurt...not physically, at least. Just tired, I think; she hasn't been sleeping well. I found her a few miles out of town in the woods, all muddied up. Thank you," Jasper said all in a rush, in a breath, answering all of the questions.

Oblivious to everything, Bella slept in Jasper's arms, inside his jacket, pressed to his body. As she fell into a deeper sleep, one thought ran through her head, a lyric to a song.

_I'm searching for the right, but it keeps avoiding me. Sorrow in my soul it seems that wrong really loves my company._

Jasper looked down at Bella as he gently shifted her into Esme's arm and made himself a promise. He would never let her go; he would fight for her, protect for her, love her every day of his eternal life. He would never deceive her, never give her up, never walk away. Ever.

**I'll fight for you. **

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**What's up, fuckers?**

**All of your reviews made my day. I was going about my music, trying to find the right song, and by accident I clicked on this song by Foreigner. I spazzed the fuck out. This song is perfect for this chapter. If I could have, I would have put the whole fuckin' song on here.**

**Anywhore, all of your reviews made my day. You are all amazing. I love you to death. I quite enjoyed everyone's acceptance to my endearment. It made my day. I have such a big ego, at the moment. I need something to downsize it with.**

**Oh, I know, a new story. New stories help. I'll be publishing two new stories, at least. One Bella/Carlisle and one Bella/Rosalie. Bella/Carlisle will be out later today, and Rosalie/Bella will also be, granted I can get my ass into gear again.**

**Ahm, yes. that's it.**

**I love feedback from my lovely fuckers.**

**-Claire**

**PS: If I make a twitter account for my stories, to post teasers and such, will ya'll...ahm...what's it called...subscribe? follow? whatever the fuck you call it? 'Cause I don't wanna make the account if no one would follow or whatever. yeah.**

**word.**


	10. Come Away With Me

**Come away with me in the night. **

**Come away with me. **

**And I will write you a song.**

**...**

The time was twilight, evidently the saddest time of day, according to one Edward Cullen. Bella, however, felt no sadness as she rushed about her room with a strange sense of urgency; she grabbed things from drawers, from her closet, and shoved them into a large duffle bag. Absently, she was reminded of the urgency she felt when packing for Phoenix when James was on her trail, hunting her; the thought of him sent a soft shiver down her spine. Quickly, she dispelled her memories and zipped up her duffle bag; she made a quick once-around her room, making sure she had everything. Then, she called Jasper.

Jasper was stalking a small fox, a hunter's smirk on his lips when his phone chimed out the opening bars to _Take It Easy_. Bella. A huge grin split his face, and he whipped out his phone, not caring that his prey had got away.

"Hello, darlin'," he drawled lazily. His tone was easy going, laid back, but inside, there were jumpin' beans vibrating about his stomach. The things that this woman did to him.

"Jasper?" Bella asked, her tone bright and breathless, urgency lilting her words excitedly.

**Come away where they can't tempt us with their lies. **

"Are you all right?" was the first thing that tumbled from Jasper's lips, fearing that she was injured or something of that design.

"Are you alone?" Bella demanded, getting a tad impatient.

Jasper took a moment to look around, to make sure that no one from the house had followed him before nodding slowly. "Yes."

"I think I'm leaving Forks," Bella said nonchalantly, but Jasper could practically feel her excitement through the phone.

**And I want to talk with you on a cloudy day, **

**In fields where the yellow grass grow knee-high**

"What?" he choked out, taken aback by her sudden revelation. She couldn't leave him; he'd fall apart.

"You heard me. I-I just woke up this morning and I knew. I knew I couldn't let my life go this quickly. I used to be so adamant about being changed, but truth be told, I want to be human longer." Bella was bright eyed and breathless as she waited for his response.

Jasper was silent for a long time, his dead heart fluttering and spluttering; she wanted to stay human for Edward. "I'm sure Edward will be happy to hear that."

**So won't you try to come?**

Bella barked out a laugh. "No, Jasper. You don't get it. If I stay human around Edward, with Edward, I'll never actually be human. He's so overbearing, overprotective. I won't be able to do the things I want with him constantly watching over me. He says he wants me to have all my human experiences, but he really doesn't. He wants to live like a human vicariously through me and wants everything to be perfect, and I just can't do that anymore. I'm not perfect; I'm human, I'm the epitome of imperfection. I just...I just…," Bella stammered, her heartbeat increasing.

"Darlin', calm down. Aren't you-," Jasper began, but he was cut off by Bella.

"Come with me," Bella requested with a large grin. "Let's run away. Me and you. Just me and you. We'll have so much fun." Bella's hypnotic words were pulling him in, convincing him. She wanted him to go with her, and god, he wanted to go with her so badly. Jasper felt as giddy as a school girl; she could have asked anyone, but she asked him. "We'll stay up all night and talk, get to know each other. We'll sing and listen to music and just _live_. No one will be able to stop us. Come with me." Bella awaited his answer eagerly.

**Come away with me and we'll kiss on a mountaintop **

"I'll be there in five," Jasper said, snapping his phone shut.

Bella laughed, a laugh full of pure joy and exhilaration; she grabbed her duffle bag and sprinted with amazing grace down the stairs. Once down there, she shoved her feet hastily into a pair of converse before tying them up quickly. Bella grabbed a notebook from one of the kitchen drawers and wrote Charlie a quick note.

_Charlie, _

_I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly...again. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I can't go through with the wedding. I just can't. I know what you're thinking. You've told me, ever since the beginning. I can't close myself off to everything for a guy. Not yet, anyway. And now, I'm not even sure if when I'm ready, it would be Edward. Things have changed, and I hate it. Anyways, I'm not sure where I'm going, but I've got my phone. I'll call you. _

_Love, _

_Bella. _

As soon as she was done fumbling with her letter, the doorbell rang a few times; she flew to the door and slung it open, grinning broadly at the blonde Texan vampire that stood just out of reach. Bella squeezed past him, closing the door gently behind her and locking it. Instead of seeing the two-wheeled, black Ducati, Bella saw a sleek, black Mercedes. For a split second, she thought it was Carlisle's, but came to a quick conclusion that it must be Jasper's car.

"I figured that you wouldn't want to ride the whole way on the back of a motorcycle," Jasper said, lightly taking her bag from her. Bella grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing a kiss on his cheek. Jasper grinned broadly down at her, unable to help himself. After opening her door for her and letting her safely get inside, Jasper tossed her bag lazily in the back seat. "You sure you wanna do this?" Jasper asked her worriedly.

**Come away with me and I'll never stop loving you. **

"Just go before Alice sees," Bella said, moving forward to fiddle with the radio, trying to find a good station. Taking that as a conformation, Jasper tore out of the driveway, then out of Forks. Once they were safely on the highway, Jasper slowed down the car to a quick, but not all too dangerous pace. Bella's fingers that were digging into the arms of the seat, loosened at the drop in pace.

"Where are we heading?" Jasper asked, glancing over at Bella who looked satisfied...almost happy.

"East, I think. I mean, it really doesn't matter. Let's just drive. I just wanna drive. If we see something interesting, then we'll stop and look, stay, see. _Live_," Bella said absently, rummaging through her bag for a moment.

Bella produced her iPod out of her bag; she plugged it into the little jack in the car and the familiar tunes of _Let Me Take You Home Tonight_ poured from the speakers. A soft, satisfied smile worked its way to Bella's lips, and she relaxed back into the seat, closing her eyes softly. Jasper glanced over at her and lightly took her hand; Bella smiled slightly and squeezed his hand.

"I'm just along for the ride, darlin'. You're callin' all the shots here."

**While I'm safe there in your arms. **

Bella smiled softly over at him, her eyes dancing with excitement. "I wanna see things I've never seen, feel things I've never felt, experience things I've only imagined. If you see something interesting, wake me up and we'll stop and look, maybe even stay for a while."

"Deal," Jasper said with a grin, threading their fingers very gently.

"Thanks, Jasper," Bella murmured.

"Anytime."

**xxxx**

Alice and Edward sat on a rock together, just kind of staring at the other. Neither needed to feed any longer, but they didn't have to be back for another two weeks. Edward was getting restless, wanting to see Bella; they had never been away from each other this long, ever. Well, aside from when he made that horrible mistake and left her. The mere thought of those months tore a ragged hole in his chest and made him shudder.

"Your phone is going to ring," she said in a soft voice.

Edward flipped open his phone before the first ring even sounded. "Hello."

"Edward." It was Carlisle; from the tone of his voice, something was wrong.

"Is it Bella? Is she all right?" Edward demanded wildly, jumping to his feet.

"That's what I'm calling about Edward. She's fine, but, son, she's gone. Charlie just called; he thought it was you and Bella that took off. Suffice to say he was shocked that I told him that you were out. Evidently, she left him with a note...Son, I don't think she's coming back," Carlisle informed in a very quiet, sympathetic tone. It felt as though his heart had been torn from his chest. His Bella; his beautiful, sweet, kind Bella. He'd lost her.

"No," Edward whispered, his voice agonized. "She has to come back. We're getting married. She loves me, and I her. She'll come back." At this point, Edward didn't know if he was convincing himself or Carlisle. It seemed more self-reassuring than anything else. A tearless, broken sob escaped Edward's lips.

"Edward," Carlisle rumbled quietly, his voice taking on a note of obvious pain; he hated knowing that his son was in pain, "there's something you don't know."

"What else can everyone possibly be hiding from me?" Edward roared.

Carlisle, ever the trooper, the peacekeeper, kept a level head and tone as he replied to his son. "Bella and Jasper are mates."

"_NO_!" Edward snarled viciously.

"Son, listen to me. Please. Marcus saw it. Didn't you read it in his mind?" Carlisle was starting to get concerned. Why hadn't Edward read that in his mind? Why was he surprised?

"I couldn't read Marcus's mind," Edward said dejectedly, but with an angry undertone.

"Why is that?" Carlisle asked, alarmed.

"I don't know, Carlisle!" Edward barked at his father figure. "Everything's been on the fritz since Jasper slipped up and ruined everything for me." The last part of Edward's explanation came out in a sob.

Carlisle frowned, lines disrupting his solid, marble-like features. "Who's mind _can _you read?"

"Depends on who Bella's talking to," Edward ground out, getting rather impatient.

Carlisle tilted his head to the side minutely, a small, bemused smile on his lips. "I suspect that Bella has a mental shield," Carlisle mused. "And somehow she's unconsciously projecting that onto the people she speaks with." Carlisle couldn't help but smile; Bella really was a remarkable person.

"Carlisle, I'm really not in the mood for you and your theories. Where is Bella?" Edward barked out.

Carlisle sighed gently and opened his mouth to speak, but in an instant, Esme was at his side, holding her hand open for the phone. He silently put his phone in her hand.

"We don't know where she went, Edward. The note didn't say. Ask Alice to look and see where she's going. Edward, you heard your father, though. They're mates. The note that Bella left Charlie said that she couldn't go through with the wedding."

Edward choked out a sob, crushing the phone in his hands; his whole world had gone to shit in the matter of five minutes. Everything inside him hurt.

**xxxx**

Bella awoke naturally, undisturbed by any loud noises or streams of light. The latter revelation surprised her; she and Jasper were in the car, so naturally there would be light coming through the windshield, yet she saw no light behind her lids. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her lids fluttering ever so slightly. Jasper glanced over at her and gave her a soft, adoring smile; she was beautiful, so very beautiful.

Before she could realize his staring, though, he turned away, back to the road. When Bella opened her eyes, her vision was distinctly black. For a moment, she panicked, but soon realized that Jasper had put a pair of dark sunglasses over her eyes. A soft laugh bubbled from her lips, a smile turning them up easily, and she pulled off the sunglasses.

"How thoughtful," Bella laughed softly, glancing over at Jasper and letting her eyes adjust to the ever so slight light that came in through the limo-like tinted windows.

Jasper grinned lazily over at her, eyes twinkling. "Always," he replied, leaning back in his chair, gripping the steering wheel lazily with one hand. Casually, he threw his arm across the back of her chair.

"Where are we?" Bella asked, rubbing her eyes and clearing her throat. Her eyes flickered to the dashboard clock; it read ten A.M. Wow; she'd been asleep for roughly twelve hours. That was probably the longest she'd ever slept.

Jasper grinned mischievously at Bella, his eyes twinkling with good humor. "Several hours outside Vegas."

Bella's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"You wanna stop in?" Jasper asked, squeezing her fingers softly.

"Like I said, something appealing equals us investigating and experiencing. Then again, I that's more of a solo thing 'cause I'm sure you've been to Vegas before," Bella mused, arching her back very gently, stretching.

"Actually," Jasper corrected, "I've never been. Alice always says it's too trashy for the Cullen family." He made soft noise of disgust.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not a Cullen. As a matter of fact, neither are you. Whitlock, right?" Bella inquired, arching a brow softly over at him.

Jasper grinned at her, then winked. "Yes, ma'am," he drawled, laying on the accent thick.

A slight, soft smirk pulled at Bella's lips. "I don't think Vegas is too trashy for the Swan-Whitlock party," Bella said with a grin over at Jasper.

"Not in the least, darlin'," Jasper drawled with an equally enthusiastic, wide grin.

"What are you waitin' for, Whitlock? Step on the gas," Bella urged, poking his ribs.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Jasper teased back, poking her side in retaliation.

Their soft peals of laughter rang out in the car as they made their way into Vegas, their first stop on their unstoppable adventure.

**So all I ask is for you to come away with me in the night. **

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**What's up, fuckers?**

**I know I just updated...what, the day before yesterday, but meh. I was in the mood for writing this story. I'm shamelessly advertising my new story right now. It's called **_Every Saint Needs a Sinner_**; it's a Bella/Carlisle story. I have a Rosalie/Bella story coming up, but I'm stuck on two things: the title and the beginning. I know what's going to happen, I just don't know how to approach it. Fuck it. It'll be out eventually.  
>:3<strong>

**I love waking up to reviews.**

**I shan't call any of my other story-reviewers/readers fuckers. You, readers of this story, are my only fuckers. You hold a special place in my heart. I know this is premature, but I'm just going to inform you that there will be a sequel to this. :3 I have the title and everything. It'll be called _I Kissed Your Lips and Tasted Blood. _That's all. I adore you all.**

**-Claire**

**PS: my twitter is on my profile. :3 Follow or whatever for teasers and pictures and tidbits.**

**PPS: I didn't put all the lyrics in order for this song. I mean, if you listen to the song, they're in this order, but I took out some lyrics that didn't really have any significance in the story. :3**


	11. Just What I Needed

**You always knew to wear it well, **

**And you look so fancy I can tell. **

**And I don't mind you hanging out and talking in your sleep. **

**I guess you're just what I needed. **

**...**

Just as Bella and Jasper were driving into Vegas, her phone chirped softly, indicating a text had been sent and received. The two exchanged a glance, both having a pretty solid idea who was texting her. Jasper squeezed their threaded fingers very softly as Bella produced her phone from her pocket and looked at the screen. As suspected, Edward's name along with a message was on her screen.

Bella leaned over and gently kissed Jasper's cheek before slipping her hand out of his and unlocking her phone to inspect his message throughly as well as reply to it. In a small bubble on the left, a simply message laid. _Where are you? _

A small smile twitched at Bella's lips, and she ran her hand through her hair. _I'm not coming back._

Only moments passed before the next text message was received. _Bella, please come back. I'm sorry. We'll go somewhere and we'll work it out. I love you._

Bella smiled very slightly. _No. I'm safe and that's all you need to know. Adios, muchacho._ With that, she turned her phone off.

Jasper grinned at Bella easily and slipped her hand into his.

"I like your hands," Bella commented lightly.

Jasper looked at her, tilting his head to the side. "They're cold," he said lightly.

"Yes; that's to be expected. I find that you can tell a lot about people by their hands," Bella commented, flipping his hand over to trace patterns on his palm. "For example, Carlisle's hands are smooth and light; they make you feel safe. Esme's touch is gentle and cool and make you feel warm and loved. Your hands are...different, though. I never knew that a vampire's hands could be rough. Yes, they're rough; yes, they're cold, but that's not it. They're soft, though, somehow, and tender, capable of much love." Bella smiled up at him, her eyes unfathomable with multiple emotions

Jasper smiled down at her, confounded by this girl once again; she'd saved him from the brink of insanity and shown him kindness and love and understanding when he did not deserve it. He was a monster, a monster that had killed thousands of people, and she knew that. What had he done to deserve the unconditional devotion that she gave him, all the understanding.

"I doubt that. I'm not capable of much love," Jasper said quietly.

Bella squeezed his hands. "Liar," she accused teasingly.

Jasper shook his head. "I speak the truth," he replied. "I've never been capable of much love. I'm always to cautious, too paranoid, too crass and blunt and cold and, well, it goes on forever."

Bella squeezed his fingers tenderly. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't hate on yourself," Bella said softly, raising his hand to her lips tenderly and brushing her soft, warm lips over his knuckles.

Jasper flashed her a small smile. "All right, kitten, whatever you say."

Bella looked up, surprised by this new moniker that she had earned. "KItten?" Bella asked dubiously.

Jasper grinned at her, unable to help himself. "I like to spice things up."

"I guess it's a good thing that I like spice," Bella chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"I suppose," Jasper said, turning the car .

"What are we going to do, Jasper?" Bella asked, arching a brow upwards. "If we use a card, then they can track it. If we withdraw cash, then, again, they can track the card." She tilted her head lightly to the side, looking sideways at Jasper.

Jasper shook his head lightly. "My family and I, we're prepared for this kinda thing. Cards are untraceable."

"Even by those within the accounts?" Bella asked. Months before, she would have been surprised at the plural associated with the word account, but soon, she realized that of coarse the Cullens had multiple accounts. They were practically criminals. They had accounts in the Caribbean, Switzerland, Germany, and the list goes on.

"Especially by those within the account," Jasper assured, smirking at her.

Bella shook her head softly. "I swear to god, if I had known ya'll were a bunch of fuckin' mob bosses when I first met Edward, I never woulda got in with this shit. If I end up going to jail, I swear…," Bella muttered darkly under her breath.

Jasper grinned over at her and tickled her side lightly. "You so would have," he argued, smirking gently at her.

Bella looked up, surprised for a moment that he heard her, but soon remembered about his vampiric senses. A large grin broke across her face and her eyes danced. "Yeah," Bella said, drawing out the _a. _"You're right. I'm a rebel." She winked saucily at him and turned her eyes to Vegas scene. With just a glance, Bella knew that she and Jasper were going to have a _lot _of fun.

**xxxx**

"Jasper," Bella slurred drunkenly, drawing out the last four letters of his name in a throaty purr. Jasper laughed lazily down at her, swiftly knocking her knees out from under her and scooping her up bridal style. Bella slipped her arms around his neck, pressing herself to his frame.

"Yes, Bella?" Jasper asked as he carried her to the elevator.

"I like you; you're handsome," she slurred, poking his nose softly.

Jasper chuckled, knowing that she was just saying that because she was quite intoxicated. "Nah, darlin'. I'm nothin' special," he protested, getting on the elevator with her still pressed to him easily.

Bella giggled drunkenly at him. "No, you're very special. I like your jaw. I have a thing for jaws. It always irritated me that Edward didn't have a strong jaw. Not like yours." Bella skimmed her nail down the defined line of his jaw. "It's strong and defined. A man's jaw." Her last words were breathy whispers in his ear.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably and looked down at her, placing a lazy grin on his lips. "Kitten, you're smashed...as am I." Only just then had he noticed that his vision was bending oddly, blurring very minutely at the edges; he felt high on a cloud, floating.

"Yes, yes, I know," Bella said dreamily, lolling her head backwards and giggling easily.

Jasper grinned down at her, ducking his head slightly and giving her a light kiss on her forehead. "Let's go, darlin; we'll get you into something comfier."

Bella wrinkled her nose and nodded; the snug, grey jersey dress that cut off quite a few inches above her knees was getting rather uncomfortable. At the moment they were talking, as Jasper walked, her skirt was progressively riding up. Though she had not been modest in the slightest all night, she reached down and tugged down her skirt. Jasper smirked down at her, winking saucily; outside the door to their room, Jasper lightly put her down on her feet, not sure if he would have been able to balance her on one arm in his intoxicated state. Once the door was open, Bella stumbled in, practically falling out of the heels that she had put on earlier.

Jasper laughed easily at Bella and snagged his arm around her waist, pulling her off her feet easily and into mid air; he helped her over to the couch where she proceeded to face plant onto. Unable to contain himself, Jasper began laughing louder, harder as Bella struggled to undo the straps of her "deathtrap heels" as she has so aptly put it earlier when she'd bought them.

"I'm going to go change," Bella slurred, getting to her feet, finally out of her heels, and padding to the bedroom.

Flopping onto the couch, Jasper unbuttoned his shirt, prepared to remove it and replace it with his old Led Zeppelin shirt, but once he had removed it, he felt lips on his neck. He hadn't even heard her come up, but now her lips were at his neck. Soft, pillow-like lips were pressed to a very sensitive spot a few inches below his ear. She applied a small amount of suction, and Jasper let out an involuntary groan.

"Darlin', darlin'," Jasper protested, moving away from her lips gently. He then felt the lust rolling out from her. God, this woman was going to be the death of him.

"I like it better when you call me kitten," Bella purred, reaching forward and touching the waistband of his jeans. His breathing shallowed, and despite that he wanted her to slither her small hand into his jeans, he put his fingers over hers, guiding her hand away from his.

"Bella," he said, deciding to stick with her given name, "come on. Let me put you in bed. You're drunk; you need to sleep it off." WIth that, he scooped her up into his arms and walked her to the bedroom, dropping her gently on the bed. He noticed, then, that she was still wearing the dress; he rolled her eyes softly. "Silly," he murmured. He let her pull him down onto the bed with her, laying lightly at her side and wrapping his arms around her.

"Night," Bella mumbled, her inner vixen having calmed with the lethargy he was sending her way.

Jasper grinned gently at her, kissing her cheek. "Night, kitten," he said with a small smirk.

Bella smiled as she drifted into sleep.

**xxxx**

The next morning, Bella awoke with Jasper's cool arms around her; she peeked an eye open and let out a low groan. Though it was pitch black in the room, aside from the eerie glow that Jasper's skin threw off, her head throbbed; she wrinkled her nose. Her mouth tasted like a dirty sock. Jasper let out a throaty chuckle, a smirk turning up his lips.

"You got really smashed last night, darlin'," Jasper said quietly, keeping his voice low as to not hurt her head further. He knew how humans were with their alcohol...and he knew how he was with his alcohol. Though he could not get a headache, he had his fair share of vomiting beforehand.

"I know," Bella groaned, cringing back from him softly. Even though his voice was soft, her head throbbed at the sound of his voice, amplified outrageously.

"Sorry," Jasper said, lowering his voice sufficiently.

Bella flashed him a small smile. "Thanks," she rasped, pushing the covers back off her and stretching out. Her muscles were stiff, as though she hadn't moved in hours, and she probably hadn't.

"I'll make you coffee and get you some Advil," Jasper said, getting up as well. He walked into the kitchen; Bella cringed back, expecting light from the outer room, but found none with a flood of relief. She got to her feet and walked into the bathroom; she blindly sought out her toothbrush, which she found with grateful ease and brushed her teeth thoroughly, getting the odd taste in her mouth.

After her mouth was sufficiently clean, she made her way back out into the bedroom. There was a bit of light coming from under the door. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make her head pound and her stomach roll. She quickly reentered the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl.

"Ugh," Bella groaned, slumping backwards onto the wall, resting her cheek on the cool tile of the bathtub. A throaty chuckle came from the doorway, and Bella lifted her head to give Jasper a dirty look. "Damn you," she said, weakly lifting an arm, a single choice finger in the air.

"You're a bit late for that, kitten," Jasper chuckled and walked over to her, handing her the coffee and Advil; Bella took the Advil with a scalding drink of coffee. She exhaled slowly, relaxing against the wall. Looking down at herself, she realized she was still wearing the dress she'd bought last night.

"What the hell happened last night?" Bella asked, rubbing her temples.

"You don't remember?" That relieved him quite a bit; that would eliminate the awkwardness of having the talk about the drunk touching that had gone on last night.

"Not in the slightest. I can assume I drank...a lot?" Bella looked up at him for affirmation.

Jasper grinned broadly and exited the bathroom and came back with a bundle of clothes. "Here. Put these on; they'll be more comfortable."

Bella took them and pointed to the door, indicating for him to leave, which he did. Pretty much blindly, she pulled a shirt over her head, a pair of panties up her legs, and a some stockings up her legs. When she was through, Jasper automatically reentered the bathroom.

"How bad to I look?" Bella rasped as she took a long drink from her scalding coffee. Surprisingly, it was good; normally, hotel coffee was shit. Then again, they were living on a Cullen budget rather than her own budget.

"Hungover," Jasper said, handing her a hair tie. Bella smiled gratefully up at him.

"Did we have fun last night?" Bella asked as she blindly tied her hair up into a messy bun.

Jasper flashed her a grin. "Yes, yes we did," he affirmed, smiling easily at her. He sunk down to the floor, opening his arm for her gently. Bella leaned gently into him, relaxing into him as he tightened his arm around her shoulders.

"I think I've had enough of Vegas for a while. I'm too hungover to do anything else for probably a damn week," Bella said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Promise we'll come back?" Jasper asked, looking down at her.

Bella smiled back easily. "Promise, doll face," she said, patting his cheek placidly and sipping her coffee lazily. The bathroom was blissfully cool and dark, perfect for Bella's hungover state. That plus Jasper's familiar, cool arms around her almost cured her hang over, but soon enough, her stomach heaved and she emptied her stomach once again. So much for a cured hangover. She wasn't getting off that easily.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**What's up, fuckers? Well, I don't have anything to say. **

**Wait, yes, yes I do. You'll get a peek of the Vegas trip and what happened throughout the fic in the form of flashbacks. **

**I'm tired and going to bed now. God, I'm such a wuss, but I don't even care. **

**Also, thank you SO much for all the reviews. You have no idea how much I adore each and every word of every review. **

**-Claire**


	12. Everyday is a Winding Road

**Jump in, let's go. **

**Lay back, enjoy the show. **

**Everybody gets high, **

**Everybody gets low. **

**These are the days where anything goes. **

**Every day is a winding road. **

**...**

"Hey, Whitlock?" Bella questioned, squinting slightly up at the blonde vampire in the dark room. Lately, Bella had taken up the habit of calling Jasper "Whitlock", and he honestly found it quite nice. Any kind of demeaning slang for Jasper he'd been called, sure, but never Whitlock. He felt like himself when addressed by his surname; it was a refreshing change.

"Yes, Bella?" He turned his large golden eyes down to her face, stroking her hair softly.

"Where do you want to go next?" she asked, taking one of his hands and playing with his fingers gently.

Jasper closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of all the places he wanted to show Bella, all the places he wanted to see himself. "I don't know." They were currently staying in a small cabin on a lake in the Grand Tetons National Park; they'd been there for around a week, and tomorrow morning, when Bella woke, they were going to their newest destination.

"Well, what about a direction? We could dip down and explore Texas," Bella suggested, stifling a soft yawn with her hand.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow in the car; get some sleep," Jasper coaxed, a tender smile on his lips. It seemed that when he was with Bella, he just couldn't stop smiling; she made him happy, so very happy. He'd never been that happy in his entire life, even as a human, even with his family, even with his friends. Never.

"Mmm. That sounds good," Bella said sleepily, snuggling gently into him. Within minutes, her breath had slowed, as well as her calmly beating heart.

**xxxx**

Only a few short hours later, Bella woke with a start, her eyes snapping open. A gasp left her mouth as she found she was staring right into a pair of golden eyes, merely inches from hers. As her eyes focused, her heart rate soothed; it was only Jasper. A small smile turned up her lips.

"Jasper," she scolded, poking the cool, slightly rough cheek of her companion.

Jasper blinked his eyes slowly, softly, and they turned so soft that Bella looked behind her and around her, curious as to what he was reacting to. "Sorry, darlin'," he apologized, his eyes going back to normal. "You awake officially this time?"

Sitting up, Bella ran her fingers through her hair, yawning largely. It was a few moments before she responded. "Yeah," she said tiredly, getting slowly to her feet and stretching. "Did I talk in my sleep?"

"We practically had a conversation," Jasper chuckled as he handed her a mug of coffee. Bella inhaled the heady scent of the liquid before raising her lips to the glass and letting the scalding coffee pour down her throat.

"Fantastic," she grunted, trudging to the bathroom and running herself a hot shower.

When she got out, she was wearing a simple pair of yoga pants and a white tee shirt. After slipping on a pair of ratty Converse, she turned to Jasper who was holding her to-go mug in his hand, offering it out silently to her. She took it and turned to the car in the drive. Jasper kept his eyes on her curiously, reaching into his pocket to get the keys to the car. As soon as the fob was out in the open, Bella lightly snatched it from him.

"May I?" Before he could respond, she smiled cockily and said, "Grand. Thanks." and got in the car.

Jasper chuckled easily, rolling his eyes, and entered the car; he siply laid back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Wake me when the horror is over," he said dramatically, throwing his arm over his eyes.

"Hey," Bella defended, "I'm a damn good driver."

Jasper peeked an eye open, sliding it over to her; a large grin spread across his face. "Hush, child," he complained. "I need my beauty sleep."

"Oh, sugar, that ship has sailed," Bella said with a smirk, pulling out of the driveway.

Jasper gasped playfully and hit her arm gently; Bella pouted. "Ow, Whitlock," she whimpered, her bottom lip quivering.

Jasper's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Bella. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" He couldn't finish, though, because he was cut off by Bella's peals of laughter. Somehow, through all of her laughter, she managed to stay on the road. They swerved a few times, and Jasper had to help her steady the wheel, but they ended up safely between the white lines in the end. Bella wiped at the tears of laughter in her eyes, slightly out of breath.

"Oh, wow, Whitlock. You make me laugh," she chuckled, fanning herself softly.

Jasper poked her ribs softly, making her squirm and giggle softly. "You love me," he taunted.

Bella glanced over at him, meeting his eyes to make the full effect of her eye roll known. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he didn't let that touch his face. He kept a light, amused smile in place. However hard he tried to keep the hurt off his face, Bella noticed a flash of some emotion in his eyes that was gone too soon for her to identify. She quickly put her eyes back to the road.

"Will you turn on some music?" Bella asked after a while of silence as she merged onto a highway.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to listen to?" Jasper asked, reaching to her iPod and scrolling through the artists.

"Uhm...She and Him?" Bella questioned, glancing over to him.

Jasper's brows furrowed softly, flipping through his mental music library. "I've never heard of them."

Bella smiled brightly. "Oh, they're brilliant. Zooey Deschanel is a wonderful singer, and Matt Ward is absolutely amazing."

Within moments, the opening notes and lyrics of _Black Hole_ were floating out of the speakers. Jasper's brows furrowed softly as he concentrated on the lyrics and musical components.

"Wow," he murmured after the song was done.

Bella glanced a tad nervously over at him. "Do you approve?"

"Very much so," he said, grinning broadly.

Bella's eyes twinkled as she reached out her hand; Jasper slapped his hand softly against hers, then took her hand gently in his. She easily adjusted to driving with only one hand, leaning back slightly in her seat, smiling as the upbeat piano notes of _Don't Look Back_ chimed out of the speakers.

Much to Jasper's surprise and delight, Bella began to sing along, moving cheerfully to the beat he assumed she knew well. Jasper laughed easily, his spirits instantly rising at her obvious happiness.

After a while, Bella glanced over to Jasper. "Will you go to my Indie playlist?" Bella asked as she, on a whim, merged onto a highway that headed south.

"Sure thing, kitten," Jasper said, picking up her iPod and making a few quick taps. He tapped the shuffle button and listened for the song to start. It was very soft at first, a few quiet notes coming out, slowly gaining in volume. It was a song Jasper had never heard, or so he thought. As soon as the opening words touched his ears, he was flipped back in time.

_"I suppose I can sing for you if you'd like," Bella murmured to herself. "Well, since Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands, I suppose I'll sing a song of theirs. I'm just going to say now that I don't do them justice, but, hey, a girl can try." She cleared her throat softly and he heard her continue to sketch, but a delicate, surprisingly soprano musical voice tumbled from her lips hesitantly, but gained confidence. _

_The voice of the singer became clearer and the sight of his horrendous replaying memory blurred slightly around the edges. Silently, his body yearned for her to continue, and she did._

"You sang this to me," Jasper recalled.

Bella's eyes flashed over to him, thinking hard for a few moments. Suddenly, she remembered, and a large smile crossed her face. "Yes, I did, didn't I?"

"Yes! You said that Rilo Kiley is one of your favorite bands."

Bella's eyes twinkled as she looked to him. "They are. I love Jenny Lewis' voice."

"Yours is better," Jasper said, listening carefully to the semi-familiar lyrics.

"Nah," Bella disagreed, humming softly along with the music. Jasper squeezed her fingers, making her look up at him.

"You're an amazing singer, Bella."

"Thanks," she mumbled, blushing softly.

Jasper kissed the back of her hand gently. "Of coarse, kitten."

**xxxx**

That night, the pair stopped in Lubbock, Texas after a long day of driving. They weren't staying over night, but Jasper figured that since it was rather late and she hadn't eaten in a long while, Bella needed some food. He leaned over and gently poked the sleeping human.

"Bella," he drawled in a whisper. In response, Bella simply grunted, mumbled something incoherent, then lolled her head away from his. "Bella," Jasper pressed, "don't you want something to eat?"

The mention of food brought out some reaction from her, and she cracked an eye open, rolling it over to get and eyeful of Jasper. As if her stomach had ears, it grumbled unhappily, emptily. "Yeah," she mumbled, opening her other eye and rubbing them sleepily. "Surprise me. I won't even taste it I'm so tired."

Jasper laughed quietly and leaned over, pressing his cool lips to her forehead. "Human food coming right up, kitten."

"Thank you," Bella mumbled as Jasper went into a sandwich shop. It was very late, and they were soon to close, if not closed already. Bella figured that Jasper had found a way, and she honestly didn't care what way that was.

Some immeasurable amount of time later, Jasper hopped back into the car, silently handing Bella a bad with a sandwich inside. "There you are, kitten," he said.

"Thank you," Bella said with a smile. By that time, he had fully woken up and was probably going to be awake for a long while. Jasper smiled easily back at her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

**xxxx**

Bella and Jasper, after three more hours of driving, finally stopped for the night in Dallas. Jasper, to Bella's delight, seemed very pleased that they were in Texas.

"Where were you raised, Jasper?" Bella asked, looking over to her companion.

"Near Galveston," he answered, looking over at her curiously. "Why?"

"Just wondering; maybe we could see where your old house was, or maybe it's still there or something. Y'know?" Bella said as she got out of the car. She raised her arms above her head, arching her back in a lazy, almost catlike stretch.

Jasper stared at her for a while, thinking about this proposition. "That's a brilliant idea," he said with a large grin.

Bella beamed at the acceptance of her idea. "I'm glad."

**xxxx**

The next day, after a lazy awakening, Bella and Jasper made their way to Galveston. It seemed to Bella that Jasper was in his element as he drove to the outskirts of town, almost as though he was familiar with it.

What Bella didn't know was that Jasper's mind was back in time, back to when he was a child, a boy walking these very streets. A soft smile made its way to his lips as he reached over for Bella's hand, finding even more happiness in her gentle touch.

"I remember," he murmured to her.

"Being here?" Bella questioned, eyes burning with curiosity as they swept the landscape, wondering what Jasper was seeing in his memories.

"Yes," he said absently, continuing to drive. Eventually, they turned onto a dirt drive. The drive wasn't very long, but it seemed like hours for both Bella and Jasper. Their moment of truth was finally there.

They stopped curiously in front of the house. Though there were no signs of life anywhere, the house was in pristine condition, making both wonder who was taking care of it. Jasper stared at his childhood home, practically in the same condition he remembered-with a few additions-and was absolutely speechless.

"Is this the place?" Bella asked softly, looking up at Jasper, wonder filling her eyes.

Jasper's eyes lit up as he looked down at her, a soft smile on his lips, tears shining in his eyes. "Yeah. This is home."

Though no one had heard them approach, suddenly a voice rang out from behind, easygoing and drawled out, much like Jasper's voice. "Well, lookie what we got here."

The pair turned around, and neither-particularly Jasper-was prepared to see what-or rather who-was there.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What's up, fuckers? **

**So, this is me being a terrible writer. I apologize for the extreme delay in getting this out. I wrestled with this fucker for ages. Well, umm, I don't have much to say. I saw Foreigner and Journey Wednesday, and totally fucking fangirled over that shit. **

**oh, right. I deleted both my other stories for the sole purpose that I'm going back to school soon, and this story is one of my favorite-as well as my most popular. I'll only have so much time, and since this is my baby, I can't neglect it. Once this story gets done, I'll probably post my other stories, but that's a long way away. **

**Uhm, that is all. **

**I love you all to bits. **

**-Claire. **


	13. Give a Little Love

**Hard living's forgiving in the end. **

**You got your troubles, **

**I've got mine. **

**On a clear day, I can read your mind.**

**...**

Only mere feet away from Bella and Jasper was a tall, lean man. It was clear he was a vampire; his eyes were a blazing crimson, his complexion was ivory at best, and every plane of his face was sculpted to perfection. It would seem he was imperfect, but both Bella and Jasper picked up on the patterns lacing his body, patterns that were very familiar to both of them. Bite marks.

"Well, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" the blonde vampire drawled, a lazy smirk turning up his lips.

Bella tilted her head to the side, examining this man; there was something familiar about him, and it wasn't the bites. Jasper, who had stepped slightly in front of her, was rigid and curt as he spoke.

"My name is Jasper, and this is my friend, Bella." His golden eyes swept the man's frame, tasting his emotional climate with experience and reading his body language with ease. After a few moments, Jasper relaxed ever so slightly, but his eyes kept wearily watching the new vampire.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jasper. I'm Adam. May I ask why you're at my home? It's a tough place to find, and you have to look for it to find it." Adam's voice had taken on an edge.

Everything clicked with Bella suddenly, and she tugged on Jasper's hand. "Whitlock," she murmured to him, tugging again.

Both Adam and Jasper looked at Bella, their eyebrows arched in the same manner. Both men instantly looked at each other, curious as why the other had looked to the human when their surname was called.

"She was talking to me," Jasper said, voice hard.

"Well, she said my last name," Adam defended, eyes narrowing.

Then, it clicked with both the male vampires.

"Adam?"

"Jazz?"

Within moments, both of them were embracing each other emphatically. With a smug, satisfied smirk, Bella lightly hopped over the small fence barring others from entering the property and began walking up to the beautiful house. When she hesitated at the steps of the house, a woman exited the house with the accustomed surreal grace of the vampire race.

"Hello," the woman said with a soft, yet somehow predatory smile.

Bella raised her brows softly. "Hello," she responded.

Suddenly, Jasper's reassuring, familiar arm slung around her shoulder gently. "Howdy, darlin'," he drawled.

The vampire that greeted them, now known as Adam, walked around the pair, to the woman's side. "Calm down, Lee. It's Jasper. Remember him?"

The woman's beautiful face lit up in a large smile and she bounded into Jasper's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and hugging him tightly, speaking with him rapidly.

Bella stepped away from the two, casting her eyes down; she wondered idly if her skin was tinged green because she was quite envious of this woman, even if she _was _Jasper's sister. It made her green with envy that she was now not the only one that embraced Jasper like so. Adam walked to Bella and leaned against the porch railing, speaking with her casually.

"So, how long have you and Jasper been together?"

Bella's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing as she looked to him. "We're not together," she said, her brows creasing in confusion.

"Please, sugar. You can't fool me," Adam chuckled, looking down at her, crimson eyes full of amusement.

"I'm not trying to fool you," Bella insisted, eyes honest and wide as she looked up at the vampire. "I'm being honest."

Adam looked down at her, dumb founded. "You really are telling the truth, aren't you?" he asked, stunned.

Bella nodded her head slowly. "Yes."

Adam chuckled. "Damn," he muttered, pushed off the banister. "I'm going to collect everyone for a long overdue welcome home." With that, he dashed inside. Within moments, five other vampires were outside, all leaning around each other to get a peek of Jasper. Bella walked up onto the porch and perched herself on one of the stairs, watching the family affair with a small smile.

Eventually, Jasper detached himself from his family and went to Bella's side, taking her hand gently and leading her down the stairs to stand with him in front of his family.

"Everyone, this is Bella," he said, beaming with happiness. Bella shifted her eyes up to him, an unconscious smile overtaking her face. It was almost as though she fed off his emotions, and it didn't have anything to do with his empath abilities. "Bella, this is my family." As he spoke names, he pointed at an individual, beautiful, clearly Whitlock vampire. "Ruth, Easter, Ariel, Loralie, Adam, Ben, and my twin brother, Blake."

"Actually," the one named Ruth countered, "Loralie and I go by Lee and Rue."

Jasper smiled easily. "That suits you."

Bella blushed gently, ducking her head lightly. "Nice to meet you all," she mumbled shyly.

Jasper tightened his arm around Bella and smiled proudly. "So, I think the exchanging of stories is in order, yes?" he questioned.

Bella fished her hand gently into Jasper's pocket. "I'm going to grab food. You can give me a shortened version later."

"All right," Jasper said, bending down and gently kissing her cheek. "Thank you, by the way," he murmured into her ear as his family made their way into their home.

"Of coarse," Bella replied, turning her head gently to brush her lips against his cheek.

**xxx**

Bella sat inside a dive called simply _Moonshine_; she was just sitting at the bar, staring into the glass that sat in front of her. At one point it had held some Jack Daniels, but now it was empty. The barkeep passed and poured her another. She nodded her thanks, but didn't really notice. Her mind was only really on one thing. Adam's words.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Just over and over, in that tauntingly flat voice of her memories. _How long have you and Jasper been together? _

She felt like ripping her hair out, but instead she took up her glass and downed it one gulp. The alcohol burned as it scorched down her throat, but she did not flinch.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Oh, grand. Now the voice was taking on a taunting edge.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Over and fucking over. Bella dropped her head into her arms, groaning lowly.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Eventually, after an uncountable number of drinks had been pushed into her system, Bella felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head, gazing at the barkeep through hazy eyes.

"We're closing for the night," he grunted.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

After paying for her bill, she got to her feet, stumbling very slightly before she regained her balance. For a moment, she stayed on her feet, swaying, but eventually got ahold of herself and walked-well, more stumbled-out to Jasper's car.

She got in and rested her spinning head against the steering wheel. Once she had collected herself enough to see somewhat clearly, she pulled out of the parking spot she was in. She made her way down the windy road toward the Whitlock house, struggling and swerving quite violently to get back into the designated lane.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Knowing somewhere in her mind that she would never make it down the hairpin curvy road that was the driveway, Bella pulled the car over and practically fell out. Using her cell phone as light, she stumbled down the driveway, falling a few times, but overall getting to the gate in one piece. She braced herself on the fence and hopped over it lightly. However, she judged the distance incorrectly and fell hard on her back, the wind getting knocked out of her.

_How long have you and Jasper been together?_

She trudged on, her vision going in and out of focus, warping oddly, then straightening. It was enough to make her stomach roll.

Back in the house, Blake and Jasper were sitting across from each other, speaking in quiet tones over beer.

"You love her," Blake said, almost sang.

Jasper ducked his head, a grin on his lips as he sipped his beer. "Yeah," he admitted.

"But she doesn't love you back?" questioned the Jasper look-alike.

"I...I don't know. I haven't even touched on the subject, and she hasn't expressed any emotion about the idea of _us._" Jasper sipped his beer nervously.

The front door banged open then, and a very drunken Bella stumbled in. Her hazy eyes rolled about, seeking out something-or rather someone. They came to a halt as she laid her eyes on Jasper. She stumbled over to him and fell into his already open arms.

"Sleep," she mumbled softly, curling into him. The last thought that ran though her head before sleep overtook her was: _How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Blake smirked at his twin, rolling his eyes. "And you say you don't know. She loves you, bro, even if she don't know it yet. She adores your ass."

Jasper beamed at this revelation by his brother. "You think?" he asked softly, gazing down at the sleeping, untroubled face of his love.

"I _know_," Blake said, clapping his shoulder softly as he strutted past into the kitchen.

**xxx**

The next morning, Bella's eyes cracked open slowly; the room that her eyes were opened to was blissfully dark. A soft voice chuckled in her ear, and she groaned.

"Jasper."

"Hey, darlin," he whispered lowly, the sound thankfully quiet.

"Wha' 'appened?" she grunted, sitting up and rubbing her face. Suddenly, that taunting, yet somehow flat voice rang in her head. _How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Her stomach rolled painfully, and she launched herself out of bed, skidded into the bathroom, and emptied the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl.

Jasper came into the bathroom a few minutes later, holding a cup of coffee and some Advil, holding it out as a peace offering. Bella lifted her head ever so slightly and looked at Jasper with weary eyes.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

She set her jaw softly and reached out for the coffee that Jasper gladly gave her. For a few moments, she simply cradled the coffee in her hands, but after a few moments of letting it burn her hands softly, she took a long drink, reveling in the painful burn that it brought, coupled with the reassuring warmth.

"You all right?" Jasper asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Bella grunted, taking the Advil and tossing them back with a gulp of coffee. She heard footsteps approaching and looked up when they stopped. Lee was standing next to Jasper at the door, looking down with Bella with rapt curiosity.

"Humans throw up when they're hung over, too?" she asked curiously.

"You don't spend too much time with humans, do you?" Bella asked sarcastically, leaning her head against the cool marble.

"Nope," Lee said, popping the _p_ lightly.

"Just eat 'em?"

"Pretty much." Lee grinned, a pretty, breathtaking grin.

"Now, tell me, how the hell is someone as pretty as you single?" Bella asked, reaching for Jasper's hand. He slipped his hand happily into hers and let her pull him down gently next to her. She pushed her forehead against his neck, letting his frigid skin calm her.

"I'm rather off putting," Lee responded with a shrug.

"So am I, but that didn't stop anyone in fucking Forks."

Jasper snorted. "It's true. She's a tiny, little monster, and yet everyone loves her."

Bella stared into space, her mind-and stomach-rolling. _How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Unable to take it any longer, she lurched forward and emptied her stomach once again; she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, washed it down with some coffee, then leaned back into Jasper.

"Yeah," Bella mumbled, curling into Jasper's lap. He gently pulled her hair up, tying it into a loose knot atop her head and pressed his fingers against the nape of her neck to cool her down. A soft moan escaped Bella's lips, and she pressed her cheek to his neck much like a loving cat would.

"Well, I'll let you deal with your hangover in peace. Adam, Ben, and Rue are out getting you some food. We don't have a kitchen, but they bought a microwave oven, or something, I think. I don't know. Like you now know, I'm terrible with humans." Lee smiled easily at Bella, winking at her softly.

"Thanks," Bella half laughed, half mumbled, leaning into Jasper softly. This reminded Jasper, as well as Bella, of their days upon days together in each others' arms. It was soothing to them both, and Bella's stomach and mind calmed just by his presence.

"Why did you get drunk last night, Bella?" Jasper asked her softly.

"I...I don't remember," she lied, looking away from him and closing her eyes.

_Yes, you do,_ her mind taunted. _How long have you and Jasper been together? _Her mind threw at her harshly, making her cringe into him.

"You get that drunk?" Bella simply nodded against him. "You don't do anything half-assed, do you? Fall in love with a first time...with a vampire. Almost die for the first time...from a vampire. Get your heart broken for the first time...with a vampire. Decide to save a life...save a vampire with notorious terrible control. Want to run away...run away with said vampire."

Bella laughed quietly, music to Jasper's ears, and tucked her face into his neck. "Just let me sleep, all right?" she mumbled, her lips brushing the lacing of scars on his neck with her speech. A soft shudder rolled down his spine, and he nodded silently.

**xxx**

When Bella awoke, she was significantly better, the Advil and coffee having worked its magic on her hungover body. She was still tucked into Jasper's pleasurably cold body, and she looked up at him.

"Thank you," she said as she got to her feet with some assistance by Jasper. She arched her back in a feline-like stretch, a large yawn passing through her lips. After stretching out her limbs as well, Bella padded into the bedroom, surprised to see her and Jasper's things in the open closet.

"I didn't think you would mind staying for a while," Jasper said, rubbing the back of his neck in a very human-like gesture.

Bella smiled easily at him. "Not in the least," she said, walking to the closet and pulling out a simple off-white sun dress with blue flowers sprinkled across it. She shooed Jasper out of the room. "I'll be in the kitchen in a few minutes."

Jasper made his way into the kitchen, and Adam grinned cockily at him. "She adores your ass," he said with a smirk.

Jasper rolled his eyes and punched his brother in the arm in a playful way. A similar, lazy smile turned up both their lips. Bella padded into the kitchen a few moments later, barefoot and wearing the dress. Jasper couldn't help but smile at her.

"You look lovely," he commented.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered, her cheeks tinging a gentle pink. She patted her hair and fixed a few pieces before walking to Lee who was standing at the counter. The first thing that came to her attention about the kitchen was that it lacked appliances. It held a simple sink in the corner of the room and a fireplace was cut out and surrounded by brick, giving it a rustic look. Instead of having a regular kitchen, they had simply extended the living room and built on a sunroom to compensate for the lack of kitchen. Despite having never seen it before, it quite suited the home.

"You approve?" Lee questioned with a grin, plugging in the microwave oven and poking at the buttons.

Bella laughed quietly and walked over, batting her cool hands away. "I got this. Watch carefully. This is about as complicated as brain surgery."

Lee's eyes widened as she watched Bella. Slowly, Bella picked up the frozen pizza on the counter, ripped open the cardboard, slipped ito ut of the packaging, then threw it into the microwave oven, setting the timer for the designated time. Smirking, she took a small bow. Lee, now seeing that she was joking when she said it was complicated, clapped, wiping pretend tears from her eyes. Bella giggled, shaking her head gently.

"Beautiful. A piece of art."

Bella rolled her eyes softly and went to the living room where she plopped lightly on the couch between Jasper and Blake.

"You two freak me out. I mean, I can tell the difference between you two, but it's eerie having you both look almost exactly alike," Bella commented, throwing her legs onto Jasper's lap. The two brothers exchanged a glance, studying the other's face.

"I guess so," Blake said with a shrug.

"So," Bella said, getting situated, "shortened version of how everyone was changed?"

"Well," Blake said, stretching out his arms to throw them across the back of the couch. "Adam was the first one to be changed out of the family. A vampire named Jennifer changed him; after a while of being in the wars, he came back to the house. Because he was still a newborn, he couldn't control his thirst, and out came vampire me. Adam didn't know to move me before I woke up, and I thought I killed everyone else in the house with my newborn blood craze.

"However, because there were so many beating hearts in the house, I got very distracted-heightened emotions, after all-and very sloppy. If there's any amount of blood left in the system when a vampire finishes feeding-and doesn't kill the victim-the victim typically changes due to the access venom that pools in the mouth before the hunt. I got sloppy."

Bella chuckled softly and thought that over. "Hm."

"Yeah," Blake said with a shrug.

"Then you just stayed in the house after that?" Bella asked, tilting her head to the side.

Blake thought for a moment. "Pretty much. We busied ourselves during the days with additions on the house, and at night, we worked on our control and fed."

"Your home is absolutely lovely."

Rue, who had just entered the room, smiled proudly. "We added a touch of our mother in. She was a simple, conservative woman...or so it seemed. She loved adding subtle flares of things about the house. I guess that was how she got her kicks back then," she said, plopping down on the ground in front of Blake.

Bella glanced at Jasper, smiling broadly when she saw his happy eyes and serene smile. She leaned her face gently into his neck.

The rest of the day was spent sharing stories and memories. With Bella at one side, and his family at the other, Jasper had never been happier.

However, one thing was always repeating in Bella's head all day.

_How long have you and Jasper been together? _

Such a simple and innocent question had been the bane of her existence for too long. It made Bella think in so many ways.

The other predominant question her mind was: _what are my feelings for Jasper._

When she looked up at him, watching his happy interactions with her family, she had her answer. She felt nothing friendly toward Jasper. She felt...love. There was no way, though, that Jasper returned the feelings. Even though he had come on this trip with her, even though he and Alice were having a tough time, he and Alice were mates, and Bella had no business fucking that up.

The thought of letting him go, of not telling him how she felt, though, made her sick to her stomach. Now, she had a decision to make.

**You've gotta give a little love. **

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What's up, fuckers? **

**Uhm, this is me being a fucking amazing writer. I just gave you an update yesterday, and here you are again, reading another chapter. I was honestly disappointed in you all for your lack of creativity. Peter? Really? Of course, Peter and Charlotte will be making an appearance, but it was time for Jasper's family. **

**Their faces-along with every other face in this fic-are on my profile. **

**I love you all. **

**-Claire**


	14. I Want to Know What Love Is

**In my life, there's been heartache and pain.**

** I don't know if I can face it again. **

**Can't stop now, I've traveled so far**

** to change this lonely life. **

**I wanna know what love is.**

**...**

"Bella," came a whisper in her ear.

With a sleepy grunt, Bella waved her hand out in the direction of the voice, hitting the cool cheek of a vampire. Whom, she did not know, nor did she care.

"Bella," came the voice again.

Bella's hand felt out in soft, sharp pats to the person's cheek; when she felt the shape of their lips beginning to take form, she pressed her entire hand over their lips, silencing them.

"Shhh," Bella requested. She felt the person's lips turn up in a smile under her hand, and cool fingers wrapped around her wrist, softly moving her hand away from their mouth.

"Bella," the person whispered again.

Bella's eyes snapped open, and she stared at the person-now realized as Adam-with an annoyed expression.

"Can I help you?" she asked acidically, pushing against his forehead lightly to get him to move away. With a cocky smirk, he obliged; Bella threw her legs over the edge of the bed, a large yawn passing through her lips.

"Yes, actually," Adam said pleasantly.

"Well, spit it out then," Bella said, fixing her clothes that had bunched up in her sleep.

"I'm here to take you out to breakfast," he said proudly, standing to his full height, towering over Bella.

"Oh, really?" Bella questioned, brows raising delicately.

"Yes ma'am," Adam said. "If you're willin' to go with me."

Bella thought for a while. "All right," she said wearily. Last time-well, the first time-they had spoken, his words had plagued her for days. She hoped that this time it would fair better.

"Grand. I'll wait for you in the living room."

Bella bobbed her head and watched him leave before padding quietly to the bathroom door. She reached out to open it, but the knob twisted. Jasper came out of the bathroom, a simple black towel wrapped around his hips. Bella's eyes widened as she watched him; her eyes watched the beads of water roll down his chest, dipping into the crevices of his muscles and hugged the curves of his scars. Unconsciously, her tongue darted out to lick her lips.

"Sorry," she stammered, blushing and ducking her head, scuttling to get out of his way.

Jasper smiled softly down at her, wrapping his arms gingerly around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "No worries."

"Right," Bella said with a strangled laugh, slipping past him into the bathroom. She closed the door behind herself and closed her eyes, her heart hammering painfully against her ribs. Slowly, she exhaled, her breath shaky; she walked to the shower and turned the nob, testing the temperature on her hand. Much to her delight, the water was warmed up due to Jasper's shower. With a smile on her lips, she stripped, then stepped into the shower. She was happy to find that her shampoo and body wash seated in a small cutout in the shower.

Once she was through with her shower, she blindly reached out and grabbed a large, plush towel. Smiling to herself, she wrapped it around herself, walking to the door and opening it a crack, making sure she was alone.

When she made sure the coast was clear, she exited the bathroom. Bella dried off, then dressed in a pair of slightly destroyed jeans and a white ribbed tank top; she toweled out her hair before clipping it back. She walked out of the room, exchanging greetings with the family before stopping in front of Adam, who was seated on the couch.

"Well, don't you look fantastic," he said sarcastically, getting to his feet.

"Don't bash my kitten," Jasper defended, coming up behind Bella and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey, Jasper," Bella said with a large grin, turning about to kiss his cheek lightly.

Jasper couldn't help but entertain the idea of turning his face very slightly so that Bella's lips would brush his. However delightful that idea might be, he restrained himself and kissed her cheek as well.

"Hello to you, too, kitten," he chuckled. "Where are you headed off to?"

Bella moved back slightly from him and looked up at him. "Breakfast with Adam."

Jasper raised a brow, looking past Bella to Adam, who was wearing a large, shit eating grin. "Be safe, and if he tries to eat you," Jasper gave her a lighter, "open it and throw it at him."

Bella giggled softly, music to Jasper's ears, and nodded her head. "As you wish." She took the lighter in her hand, flicking it on and off, making sure it worked to her satisfaction; she glanced up at Adam, smirking at him.

"Damn, thanks, Jazz," Adam muttered, but walked to Bella nonetheless, outstretching his arm. With a bright smile, Bella looped her arm through his and walked outside with him.

The pair arrived at a small, mom-and-pop diner a twenty minutes later. Adam got her a coffee and a doughnut, and they sat across from each other in a small both in the corner. Bella looked at Adam over the rim of her coffee mug.

"What was this about?" she asked, sipping the coffee. It was surprisingly good.

"I know you love my brother, Bella," Adam said bluntly, pushing the doughnut towards her.

Bella simply looked at him, her wide brown eyes studying his wise crimson eyes; her eyes tightened at the sides ever so slightly as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Yes," she admitted, folding her legs up under herself.

Adam stared at her, exasperated. "Why don't you fuckin' tell him that?" he demanded, his brows pulling together.

"He has Alice," Bella replied simply, taking a bite of her doughnut.

"Why do you think he fuckin' came with you halfway across the damn country? Clearly, he adores you, Bella," Adam insisted, trying to understand both where she was coming from and why she was being so stubborn about telling him.

Bella worried her bottom lip, staring into her coffee. "I...I don't want to get hurt," she admitted, sipping her coffee nervously.

Adam smiled slightly and reached across the table, placing his hand atop hers and squeezing her fingers. "Believe me when I say that Jasper loves you too much to hurt you. I haven't seen him in over a hundred and fifty years, and I _still_ know that. Jasper is a kind man, Bella, and if he truly loves you-which I know he does-then he could never hurt you."

Bella rapped her fingers against the table, her teeth seemingly permanently stuck on her bottom lip. "Are you sure?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Positive, Bella." Adam smiled at her, squeezing her fingers.

"Adam?" Bella questioned hesitantly.

Adam smiled warmly at her, his eyes twinkling in a manner that much matched Emmett's twinkle._ It must be a brotherly thing, Bella concluded._ "Yeah, sugar?"

"What are mates?" She cast a hesitant glance up at him.

"The Cullens didn't talk about mates?" Adam asked, taken aback.

"Well," Bella mumbled, "I mean, not really. All I've really got on mates was that Victoria and James were mates, and that it's a significant bond." She picked at a crevice in the table, tapping her fingers impatiently.

"A mate, Bella, is the highest form of bonding as far as any kind of supernatural-or mortal-goes. Mates are not only lovers to each other, but best friends as well as life support. They can sustain themselves on each other, they could go centuries, millennia, without contact from anyone but each other, and they could be completely fine with that. That's why the majority of vampires are nomads; they don't find interaction with other people necessary when they have their mate. A person only has one mate in their lifetime, their eternity, and once that mate is lost, it is as though that person, that surviving half of the mated relationship, has lost their entire soul, their entire being."

Bella's fingers, somewhere in his speech, had stopped tapping, and she was staring at him with large eyes. "R-really?" she stammered. Her breath came out in a shaky exhale, and she ran her fingers unsteadily through her hair.

"Because vampires are animalistic creatures, pretty much as a rule, a vampire takes up some actions that they normally wouldn't have around his-or her-other half. Purring and protectiveness are frontrunners in that. However, affection and the craving to be near their mate are a close second, though."

At the mention of purring, Bella's head snapped up. "A vampire purrs for their mate?" she asked, her voice quaking ever so slightly.

"Yes. As far as vampires go, purring is the highest way of expressing happiness, and mates are truly only happy when they are together." Adam studied Bella's expression. "That's familiar to you, isn't it?" he questioned, a smug smile on his lips.

Bella ducked her head, blushing softly. "Yeah," she mumbled. "When he finally came out of this...stupor...I don't know. It was almost like there were these magnets pulling us together. He was in this blood craze, and he stopped when I touched him. He made this noise I'd never heard before, and Carlisle said that he was purring. I didn't really think much of it-I thought it was just because he thought I was Alice or something.

"And then he hated being away from me. I thought that it was just because I was warm, and he wasn't well, but-but now that you're telling me this-," Bella said, her words jumbling together in an excited and nervous rush. "Oh my God. Are we mates?" she blurted out, her eyes going comically wide.

Adam smile smugly. "Yes. And for the record, Jasper already knows that you're mates. He's just been waiting for your slow, human ass to catch up."

Bella groaned and dropped her face into her hands. "I can't live up to that standard," she ground out.

"What that hell do you mean?" Adam asked, bewildered by her statement.

"I can't live up to that standard. It just seems to perfect, so laid out, so restricted. I can't live up to that. I'm a goddamn human, for fucks sake. How am I supposed to make a _vampire _who is knowledgable about mates happy? How am I supposed to do that, Adam? Someday, I'm not going to display some kind of mate thing correctly, and Jasper's going to notice, and he's going to be disappointed. I'm not going to do it right. I've never been able to do anything right in my enti-"

Adam slapped his hand over her mouth, shaking his head with a huge, amused grin. "Bella, Bella, Bella," he said in an oddly chastising tone. "That definition of mates that I gave you was just the bare minimum. No one _really_ knows what mates are supposed to be like. That's just information complied over the years from mated vampires. It's different for everyone. You're not expected to act or react in a certain way just because you're mated."

Bella raised her eyes to Adam's; her eyes were wide and scared and reminded Adam of a spooked horse. "Really?" she asked worriedly.

"Really, really," Adam reassured, squeezing her fingers again.

Bella closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, an image flashed behind her lids. She and Jasper kissing, making love, smiling, being happy, and just _loving _each other. The mere idea made her heart swell and beat quicker. Slowly, she opened her eyes to look at Adam, who was grinning at her.

"Let's go," she said, getting to her feet.

"Finally," he said, grinning. He grabbed her hand and running outside with her. Bella laughed, a laugh of pure adrenaline and joy; she threw herself into the car, bouncing with excitement. Adam tore out of the diner and drove home, pushing his old car as fast as it could go. They were home in ten minutes, instead of the twenty that it took them to get there.

**I want you to show me.**

Once they stopped, Bella threw herself out of the car. Jasper was exiting the house, a smile on his lips. Bella paused for only a second before running as fast as she could to him. Unable to contain himself, a large grin spread across his face as he walked down the porch steps. And then, like a freight train, Jasper felt it, undeniable and true, undiluted and pure. Love.

**I wanna feel what love is.**

Bella threw herself into Jasper's waiting arms, her legs wound around his waist as his arms went around hers to support her. Gently, Bella reached up and cupped his face before lowering her lips softly against hist, her eyes fluttering closed. Their kiss was not rushed, nor was it aggressive. Their lips moved naturally, softly together, yet somehow hesitantly, getting accustomed to the feeling.

The feeling of euphoria from their kiss was mutual. Her lips were plump and perfectly soft, and warm; his were frigid, full, and smooth. They fit together perfectly, not like fire and ice, but rather like strawberries and cream. Their togetherness was not a bitter, dangerous contradiction, but it was a sweet, perfect compatibility.

Bella gently stroked Jasper's scarred cheeks as they kissed. Slowly, she pulled back, biting her lip gently. The golden eyes she stared into were soft and tender, filled with nothing but love.

"I want you to show me what love is," she whispered softly.

Jasper cupped her face softly. "Today and every single day until the end of time," he vowed, kissing her gently.

Bella smiled hugely, her grin practically stretching from ear to ear. "Kiss me," she requested, running her thumb gently over Jasper's bottom lip, her eyes soft, like melted chocolate.

"Yes, ma'am," Jasper chuckled, pressing his lips gently to hers again.

**I know you can show me.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What's up, fuckers? **

**Well, I had a grand time writing that. I felt that Adam was going to be the one to convince her of this. He's the oldest of the Whitlock clan, and probably the most forward. Don't worry if you're confused about the characters at this point. They're not going anywhere anytime soon. I don't think that this was too soon; hell, maybe it was belated, but whatever. I'm going to start work on the next chapter right now. **

**I always love to hear suggestions for future chapters, suspicions or questions you have, and concerns you have about the story. I'll answer pretty much anything. :3**

**-Claire**


	15. Shine

**Show me where to look and **

**Tell me what will I find. **

**What will I find?**

**...**

Bella sat on the couch in the living room, staring blankly ahead, unmoving, unblinking. A few feet away, the Whitlocks were all saying their goodbyes. Jasper and she were leaving to continue their trip today, but they'd be back. Bella's eyes flickered down to her hands, balling them in and out of fists absently. No matter how much she loved Jasper or his family, she couldn't help but feel like a third wheel when it came to family time. They were all connected by blood, literal human blood, and she was just a human, there by friendship...or possibly love.

Fuck, at this point, she was so damn confused, she didn't even bother thinking about it for too long in fear of headache. She _wanted_ to love him.; she knew she felt something for him, but the depth of that feeling was beyond her. She had no idea if that was good or bad.

"Come back," Rue ordered, hugging her brother tight.

And the third wheel feeling was back.

Jasper glanced at Bella, tasting her third wheel emotions; he smiled softly at her and walked over, helping her to her feet and hugging her to his side as he said his goodbyes. Unable to help herself, she melted into his frame, her head leaning against his chest as she watched the family interaction. The Whitlocks said a no less than awkward goodbye to the human of the bunch before she and Jasper set out again.

Once she was safely seated in the car, Bella was able to relax; she settled down in the familiar seat, rolling her shoulders softly. Jasper, too, took his seat, starting the car and beginning to drive away. Both waved out the windows to the family rapidly disappearing in the rearview mirror.

"Do you not like my family?" Jasper asked, reaching over to take Bella's hand gently in his.

Bella looked over at him, taken aback. "No!" she insisted. "I really like them. I just, I don't want to take you away from them or vice versa, so that leaves me just hiding in the corner. I'm OK with that, I really am, I'm just feeling off." With her free hand, she absently scratched at her forehead.

Jasper frowned, reaching over with the hand that was supposed to be on the wheel and felt her forehead. "You feel fine temperature wise," he commented, flashing his hand back to the steering wheel to correct it back into the lane perfectly.

Rolling her eyes, Bella said, "Yes, Jasper. I realize that. I've had a fever before. I never said I was feeling _ill_, per se, just _off_, different. I'm not sure if it's in a bad way or not yet, but just different."

Jasper looked over at her, studying her face tenderly before picking up her hand and kissing the back of it gently. "You'll tell me if something's wrong, right?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes," she reassured him, squeezing his hand softly.

Jasper nodded his head, squeezing her fingers in return, offering her a soft smile, then looking to the road again, thinking deeply as they drove. Somewhere before it turned dark, Bella turned to her side and curled up, cradling his hand gently to her, letting mostly herself know that she was safe. He kissed her forehead softly as she fell off to sleep, feeding off her sleeping emotions. It was a pleasant feeling; though he couldn't sleep, he could get damn close to it if he let himself. He wouldn't, though, not when he was driving with Bella in the car.

Before Bella had been asleep for an hour, she began squirming softly, fear tainting her emotional pool. Jasper-who's hand was still clutched to Bella's chest-looked over to her, the sudden fear that shot into her startling him.

"Bella," he whispered softly as she whimpered and began to quake gently. Oddly, she was silent in her presumable nightmare; typically, she would be quite vocal during her dreams, especially nightmares. It worried Jasper that she was being so mum. He shook her gently. "Bella, please wake up," he coaxed, rubbing her arms gently.

Bella's eyes snapped open and sat up straight in her reclined chair; her breathing was ragged and shallow. She pulled her legs quickly close to her chest, hunching over her knees, slowly regaining control of her breathing. Jasper glanced over at her, placing a hand on her back and rubbing her back softly. He sent her some calming waves, attempting to tame her fear.

"Don't," Bella choked out, moving away from his hand. "Just...let me calm down on my own."

Jasper nodded softly, eyes wide as he gazed at her. Slowly but surely, she calmed down, her breathing calming into deep, even inhales and exhales, and her heart rate regularized.

"Okay," she said in an exhale, sighing softly. "Okay. I'm good." She yanked her hand through her hair before looking over at Jasper, who was staring back at her. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Are you still feeling off?" he asked her softly.

Bella nodded a bit. "Can I…?" she asked hesitantly, unbuckling and crawling across the center console in the car to sit in Jasper's lap. Instantly, his free arm was around her, cradling him softly to him. He relaxed under her warm skin as he always did. It was a stunning, remarkable feeling that he loved. What he loved more, though, was her; he loved her with all of his heart, everything about her down to the mole on the inside of her arm that he highly doubted she knew existed.

"Of coarse," he said softly, nuzzling her hair gently. Bella turned her face into his chest, her body melting into his. Jasper stroked her hair softly as they drove. "You all right?" he asked softly.

"I think so," she said into his chest, a small smile pulling her lips up at the corners. He glanced down at her, reading both her face and her emotional pool. Both validated that she was, indeed, fine. Well, she was for now, at least. She squeezed him tight as they drove, trying to shake the feelings inside her, the feelings of dread and the aftertaste of the nightmare.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm so ashamed of this. It's terrible. Be ashamed of me. It's short and a filler chapter. I just had to explain about the nightmares and about them leaving. It was terrible. **

**Buuuut, don't stop reading the story because some plot twists are coming up. Sexy times will also be coming. I apologize for both the delay in the chapter and the shittiness. School started back up for me and there was a death in my family, so it was really hectic. I know exactly what i'm doing with some of the following chapters, so expect them to come very soon. **

**Please don't kill me, **

**-Claire**


	16. Livin' On a Prayer

**We've gotta hold on to what we've got.**

**It doesn't make a difference if we make or not.**

**We've got each other and that's a lot for love.**

**We'll give it a shot.**

**...**

Bella woke from her sleep with a jolt. For a moment, she panicked, not realizing who was touching her, but she soon realized that it was Jasper and relaxed into his chest.

"Sorry," she mumbled around a yawn. With bleary eyes, she looked out at the road they were traveling on; she had no idea where they were, so she asked.

Jasper smiled down at her. "Just passed Pittsburgh," he said softly, driving casually with one hand while his other arm stayed snugly around Bella. She rolled her shoulders softly and let loose another yawn.

"Hm," she said softly. "I slept for a while, didn't I?" A small laugh slipped through her lips.

"Indeed you did," Jasper agreed, chuckling with her and kissing her forehead. He glanced up at the road for a moment. Since it was two in the morning, they were pretty much alone, and he didn't have to look at the road much. However, there was occasionally a flash of headlights ahead or behind, and he'd have to glance up, mostly for Bella's sake. He knew she hated it when he didn't look at the road.

A small shudder ran down Bella's spine as she remembered the tail end of her dream; it was the same one from their first night away from Texas...and every night since then. She desperately hoped that Jasper hadn't noticed, but of coarse, he had.

"The same dream?" he asked hesitantly, quietly, hoping he was wrong. Although he didn't know the contents of her dream, he knew whatever it was had frightened her for the duration of their days, then slowly gone away, only to return when she woke. It was almost as though she had turned into a different person, always on edge, always looking over her shoulder.

Bella closed her eyes for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah," she murmured, tucking her face softly into his neck, kissing a patch of scars there.

"Are you going to tell me what it's about?" Jasper asked, looking down at her worriedly.

With a small smile, Bella shook her head. "The odds aren't in your favor." Her voice was almost childlike in it's quietness and shyness.

Jasper chuckled softly and stroked her hair back from her face. "Very well," he amended, kissing her forehead.

Bella smiled crookedly up at him, her eyes sparking slightly, a mere shadow of how they used to shine; this worried Jasper to no end, though he'd never let her know that.

"Where exactly are we headed?" Bella inquired, glancing up at the handsome blonde Texan.

Jasper thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, we have a house in Maine, but I'm sure they'd look there for us. We're still 'on the run', right?" he asked, to verify.

Bella laughed musically. "I guess. I mean, I don't really want to meet up with Alice or Edward. Everyone else is cool, but I don't feel like dealing with their fuckery." She shrugged her shoulders.

Jasper thought for a long moment. "Hm," he said lightly. "All right. Well, how about Boston?"

Bella's face lit up in excitement, a large grin spreading across her face. "I've always wanted to go to Boston," she encouraged, her eyes bright, like they used to be. This simple thing made everything seem clearer and more sure in Jasper's eyes.

"Sounds like a plan," he enthused, doing the math quickly. They were going a hundred and twenty miles an hour and it was roughly five hundred miles to Boston,

"It'll be about four hours, right?" Bella asked, glancing up at him. He nodded, his signature lazy smile sliding over his face. Bella sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, a very slight blush coloring her cheeks; every time he pulled that smile, it affected her in a way that she hated to admit and realize but couldn't deny.

Jasper smiled slyly, her emotions flooding into the mental power source of his empath ability. "Kitten," he purred lowly, a slow smirk pulling at his lips.

Bella blushed softly, ducking her head slightly, slapping his shoulder lightly. "Shut up," she muttered, her cheeks reddening deeper, feeling his eyes on her. Jasper took her chin softly between his thumb and forefinger and tilted it up so that they were eye to eye. Bella quickly averted her eyes. "Look at the road," Bella mumbled, trying to pull her face free his grip. Instead of following her encouragement, Jasper kept staring at her face.

"I'll look back at the road when you look me in the eyes." Slowly, reluctantly, Bella rose her eyes to meet his. Jasper smiled lazily, crookedly, looking into her brown eyes. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Bella," he reassured, stroking her face gently. His eyes flicked up to the road for a millisecond, but then they were back on her face. "You're attracted to me. That's a _good_ thing. Attraction isn't supposed to be one sided."

Bella sunk her teeth into her full bottom lip, mulling over his words as she studied his face. "You're attracted to me?" she asked suspiciously.

Jasper's deep, full-bellied laughs filled the car as he hugged her tight to his chest, kissing the top of her head. "Of coarse, beautiful. How could I not? You're the most gorgeous creature to ever walk this earth."

Bella blushed very slightly and leaned up, pressing her lips gently to his, her lips curving up in a small smile against his. "Thanks, J," she said, leaning into him comfortably. When she was feeling down, she loved that she could always count on him to make her feel worthy and beautiful and wanted.

"I'm yours," Jasper reminded her. He did this frequently, making sure that she knew at all times that he was hers, body, mind, and soul. He belonged to her, and she him, though she hadn't realized that yet. Belonging, mating, wasn't a one sided affair; it was two sided and beautiful. Jasper couldn't wait until Bella was ready to make that next step into a mated relationship.

At the moment, he knew that she was trying to get all of her emotions straightened out, as well as dealing with her frequent nightmares, so he didn't pressure her into anything. The fact that she knew they were destined to be together was enough for him. It wasn't the sex that he was excited about-though he knew that would be amazing. It was the fact that whenever he had the opportunity to introduce Bella to someone, he could proudly call her his mate, his girlfriend, simply _his_.

"Thank you," she sighed softly, running her fingers along his wrist and up his arm to his elbow, along the veins that held venom rather than blood.

"Does it bother you?" he asked softly, looking down at her.

Bella looked up at him, bewildered. "Does what bother me?"

"That I'm a vampire, that I've killed thousands of people?"

Bella laughed musically, freely, a sound that made Jasper's long-dead heart thud. "If it did, would I be here?"

"Just some insecurities, I guess," Jasper admitted, biting his lip gently.

Bella leaned up slightly, hesitantly and pressed a kiss to his upper lip. "You don't have to feel insecure around me Jasper, you know that. I will always be here for you, and I'll always care about you and accept you, no matter what happens." She cupped his face gently in her hands, looking up at him under her lashes.

Jasper smiled tenderly and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her lips. "Thank you, kitten," he said softly, nuzzling her much like he had done in the early stages of their relationship. When he had been unaware, lost in his mind. When Bella had saved him.

**xxx**

The next three hours of their journey was filled with laughter, singing, and the occasional kiss. Before either of them knew it, they were entering the city of Boston.

Bella bounced excitedly on Jasper's lap. "I'm so excited, J," she enthused, her eyes bright despite her obvious exhaustion.

"Me too, angel," Jasper replied, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. Her emotions were rubbing off on him. Well, that, and he was genuinely excited. Not about Boston, per se, but rather just being with Bella. He loved being with her; it was so easy, so right, so natural.

Bella tilted her head to the side as she studied him. "How am I supposed to keep up with your nicknames, Whitlock?" she asked with a pout, her bottom lip sticking out adorably. Jasper smirked gently and ducked his head, nipping her bottom lip softly. It wasn't hard enough to make it bleed, but it was hard enough to send a little shiver down her spine and make her flinch back in surprise.

"I like to keep you on your toes," he said, running his tongue along the shell of her ear gently.

Bella let out a scoff and hit his arm. "Shut up and drive."

"I believe that's a song," Jasper said.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Get with the times, gramps."

"Hey," Jasper defended, "you're the one that's stuck with me. You'll be exactly like me one day." He smirked haughtily.

Bella scoffed again, a smirk twitching at her lips. "Dear, you can keep believing that, but I will always be-"

Jasper cut her off, "Hip and jiggy with it?"

Bella let out a very unladylike snort, then dissolved into a fit of laughter. "Oh my god, whitlock," she gasped out between bouts of belly-deep laughter. "You're fucking terrible!"

Jasper smiled triumphantly. "Yes," he gloated.

It took her a while to contain her laughter, but eventually Bella calmed herself, taking a few deep breaths before turning to her vampire counterpart and kissing him softly. The two shared a short and passionate kiss before pulling up to a hotel.

"What're we doing?" Bella inquired, looking up at the large building, her brows creasing softly.

"Staying the night here, then going apartment hunting in the morning," Jasper offered, his tone hinting that his sentence was in the form of a question, open for argument.

Bella smiled broadly. "Sounds grand," she agreed, clambering off his lap and getting out into the brisk night air. Stretching largely, she let out a loud yawn. Her body made little groans and pops as she walked a few yards to stretch her legs. While she did this, Jasper got their things out of the back of the car, slinging them over his shoulder before wrapping his arm around Bella and walking inside the hotel. The process of getting a hotel room was fairly easy on a Cullen budget. Typically, Bella would have been uncomfortable or protested or something like that, but at that point, she was too damn tired to care and was just looking forward to a bed to sleep on for the first time in ages.

Jasper opened the door for her, letting her trudge in ahead of him before closing the door behind her. Bella said nothing as she slugged to the bed; in moments, the comforter was gone. The next moment, she was lying atop the bed, still fully dressed but already asleep. Jasper smiled tenderly and walked over to her, sitting lightly on the bed as he pried her Chuck Taylors from her feet and rolled her over to tug off her jeans and over shirt, leaving her in her panties and tank top. Then, he tucked her softly under the covers, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Bella Swan," he said for the first time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What's up, fuckers?**

**I apologize for being flaky with posting and shit.**

**First of all, I'm actually proud of this chapter...kind of. They're finally in Boston. Now the fun and games can start. ;) **

**Second of all, I want y'all's opinions as far as update days go. **

**Third of all, I believe i'll be posting at least two new stories. I'd love to post more, but I don't know if I have the time. I'll assess this week, then let you all know when I update this again. :3**

**-Claire**


	17. The Nearness of You

**It's not the pale moon that excites me, that thrills and delights me.**

**Oh, no. It's just the nearness of you. **

**Isn't your sweet conversation that brings the sensation. **

**Oh, no. It's just the nearness of you. **

**…**

Bella stood sideways in front of the large mirror in the hotel bathroom, staring at herself. Experimentally, she ran her fingers over she small swells of her breasts, down her stomach, to her hips, poking the bones that showed there. If she remembered correctly, the last time she looked at her hips, the bones had been jutted out to the extreme. She frowned slightly, poking at them, swiveling them, and looking at them from all different angles. Yes, she decided, they look less pronounced now. With a small frown, she pushed her shirt back down and walked out of the bathroom, going to stand in front of Jasper.

"Have I gained weight?" she asked him worriedly.

Jasper smiled lazily and looked up at her, studying her frame. She _did_ look a little heavier. Not in any bad way. The weight had gone to her hips and her breasts, he noticed, and it was starting to give her a fuller figure. He didn't think it was anything major; she was verging on nineteen, now, so it was probably a good thing for her to be putting on some weight and getting some curves. It was healthy...plus, Jasper enjoyed a curvy woman. He knew that wasn't something she wanted to hear, though, judging by the insecurity of her emotions, so instead of voicing this, he leaned forward and took her hands, pulling her into his lap.

"No ma'am," he said, nuzzling her neck softly before pressing a soft kiss to her pulse point.

Bella smiled brightly and got up, tugging her with him. "Let's go apartment hunting," she enthused, eyes bright, her insecurities having floated away.

"As you wish, darlin'," he drawled easily, getting to his feet with her.

For a while, the pair walked around Boston, Jasper making mental notes of all the buildings that Bella seemed to fancy from the outside. A soft smile twitched at Bella's mouth as they walked into the South End of Boston; it was earnestly beautiful. Trees lined the streets, giving shade even though today since it was dreary it wasn't needed, and the buildings were all very old and rustic.

"I'd love to live down here," Bella sighed dreamily.

Jasper smiled at her. "Really?" he asked, excited as he squeezed her fingers that were threaded with his. He, too, had fallen in love with this part of town and took pride in the fact that Bella loved it as well. One of his favorite things to realize was things that he had in common with Bella, wether it be their same taste in music or that their favorite color was grey.

"Yes," Bella said, glancing up at him. She saw the happy smile on his face, and her own features broke into a breathtaking smile.

**xxx**

At the end of the day, Bella and Jasper were in their new flat, located in a perfect little section of the South End. Because they hadn't bought any furniture yet, nor did they know where to get any, they were laying on a blow up mattress and there was a TV sitting in the corner. Bella squirmed under Jasper's tickling fingers, rolling off of the mattress and onto the floor. Jasper, with a grin, rolled after her, continuing to tickle her.

"Stop it, Jasper!" she giggled, her face turning red from the lack of air from her lungs.

Satisfied that she had had enough, Jasper wrapped his arms around her, rolling them carefully back onto the mattress. "Yes, ma'am," he said softly, kissing her neck.

Bella giggled softly, running her fingers down his side, feeling the soft outward pushes and gentle dips between the scars that laced his body. She glanced up at him slightly before tugging on the bottom of his shirt, then pushing it up gently. Jasper studied her for a long moment before sitting up slightly and pulling his shirt over his head. Bella smiled softly at him as he laid back down, opening his arms for her; with a warm smile, she laid back down, resting her head on his chest. In an instant, Jasper's arms went around her, securing her to him. Bella situated herself so that her ear was over the spot his dead heart lay. With tender fingers, she traced the scars lacing his torso. She pressed small kisses to the ones within her mouth's reach. Jasper smiled softly down at her, wondering what he had done to deserve such an angel.

"How did I get so lucky?" he asked her, stroking her silky chestnut locks.

Bella looked up at him and smiled gently. "It has nothing to do with luck," she said, eyes holding a kind of tenderness that Jasper had only seen from this remarkable girl he was proud to call his.

A smile turned his lips upward as Jasper cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers, capturing her bottom lip sweetly between both of his. Bella smiled softly into their tender kiss, returning it with equal emotion. It never ceased to amaze her how his lips felt against hers, like cool, refreshing rain, fresh and addicting, making her nerves tingle. With a small smile, Bella ducked her head down and kissed his neck softly before snuggling soundly into him, stroking his stomach softly, giggling in shock as his muscles rippled under her touch. Jasper laughed as well, his muscles contracting and relaxing with the ease of his laughs; he kissed her forehead softly, stroking her hair absently.

When Bella went to open her mouth to speak, her phone, that was plugged into the wall, began to chirp. For a moment, she just stared at it, blinking slowly, then inched her way over to it. The caller ID read _Edward_, and she shot a look to Jasper, her eyes kind of wide. In moments, he was at her side, wrapping his arms around her, giving her a reassuring squeeze, silently encouraging her to answer. Bella straightened up, cleared her throat, and swiped her finger across the answer bar.

"Hello?" she inquired, placing the phone to her ear.

"Oh, Bella!" Edward breathed out, relieved. "I'm so glad you're all right."

Bella looked at her nails. "What can I help you with?" she asked, leaning heavily into Jasper. His nose skimmed down her neck, causing her heartbeat to speed.

Edward's tone was bewildered as he responded, "We're all wondering when you're going to stop with this silliness and return for the wedding. You've had your fun now, you need to come back."

Bella barked out a laugh, and Jasper snickered into her neck, unable to help himself. "Edward, you just don't get it, do you? I'm not fucking coming back. I left you. I'm with Jas-"

A loud snarl cut her off mid-sentence, and her eyes widened significantly, her heart stopping for a split second. Jasper tightened his arms around her, rubbing her arm to comfort her slightly. "No," Edward spit out between his teeth, into the phone.

"Um...yes," Bella said hesitantly, her brows creasing.

"Bella, there is no way that you're with Jasper. You promised me! You promised me, Bella! You promised me that there was nothing going on between you and Jasper!" Edward yelled into the phone.

Bella ran her hand over her face, rubbing slightly, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "How long ago was that, Edward? It's really your own fault. I felt like you hated me, like I was just a burden. Jasper was the only one that made me feel like I was fucking worthy. You know fucking what, I don't even have to explain this to you. It doesn't matter; I'm not with you, so I don't have to tell you shit. All you need to know is that we are done and we will not be getting back together, there is not going to be a wedding, nor will there ever be. I don't even want to talk to you. Please, Edward, just let go."

Edward was silent for a long time before his voice became a threatening whisper. "You _will_ be mine again." Then, the receiver clicked off; Bella stared ahead for a while before turning off her phone. Silently, Jasper turned her around, hugging her tightly to him, rubbing her back softly as her shoulders shook softly against him.

"Darlin' Bella," he murmured softly, stroking her hair. "I'll protect you. You know that." He skimmed his lips over the side of her face, gentle and cool, like a passing breeze.

Bella nodded numbly into his chest. "I just...I hate that I hurt him, and I hate that everything turned out this way."

Jasper flinched back, staring at her with shock in his eyes. Bella stared at him, hurt, for a moment, but then her eyes widened, her hand flying up to cover her mouth in horror.

"Oh, god, Jasper, no. Not that way. I meant with Edward. Not with you. When I first met Edward, I thought we were perfect together. After I started helping you, I realized we just didn't _work_. Edward is controlling and arrogant and acts like my father. And I'm...well, you know me. I just...that doesn't work with someone like me. Someone like me needs someone like you," Bella said, reaching up and cupping his face softly in her hands, staring into his eyes. "I want _you_, Jasper. Nothing will ever make me regret how we turned out. Nothing. Not now, not ever."

Jasper relaxed under her touch and words, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks, kitten," he said, turning his face softly to kiss her palm.

"And Jasper?" she asked, drawing his eyes back up to her. A soft smile twitched at her pink lips. "I love you, too."

Jasper's face lit up in such joy, Bella wanted to laugh, grin, and cry all at the same time. She settled on the first, embracing him tightly, her lips against his ear, her cooing laughs echoing in his ears. Such joy as he felt now had never coursed through his veins; for the first time in almost two centuries, he felt human, he felt whole. The joy ran through his dead veins, warming and tingling the skin they laid under. His entire being was alight with this joy, and he couldn't help but project it onto Bella-and probably the whole building.

"Say it again?" he requested softly, his breath tickling her ear.

Bella laughed blissfully and whispered, "I love you, Jasper Whitlock," into his ear quietly.

Jasper let out a carefree laugh, a laugh that bounced off the walls joyously. Bella had never heard a laugh like that come from Jasper, and she silently vowed to make him laugh in that way every day until her last day on earth. It was such a beautiful sound, it made her heart sing and a smile pull at her lips.

"I love you, too, Isabella Swan," Jasper said, nuzzling her neck softly, placing a tender kiss to her collarbone.

* * *

><p><p>

**A/N: What's up, fuckers?**

**I apologize for the late arrival of this chapter. it was supposed to be out Sunday/Monday, but that didn't work well...obviously. I wrestled with this chapter, and decided that because all they have is a blow up bed that it would be best if they didn't fuck yet. That's coming up, though. I pretty much have that written out 'cause I deleted it from this chapter. *scratches back of neck* yeah. Expect some Jasper and Bella lovin' next chapter. **

**If you haven't checked out Head Games and/or Savin' Me, I suggest that. I have great plans in store for them. :3 Also, keep posted for updates on my blog as well as for some one shots. :D**

**-Claire**


	18. Those Sweet Words

**The hour hand has spun, **

**But before the night is done, **

**I just have to hear those sweet words, **

**Spoken like a melody.**

**…**

Jasper tiptoed into their bedroom, a sly on his lips; he hopped onto the bed, jostling her awake. She yelled out incoherently, reaching out to slap him, but Jasper just hugged her tight, keeping her steady.

"Happy birthday, darlin'!" he exclaimed, leaning in to give her a kiss. Before his lips could touch hers, though, her hand flashed between them, his lips landing on her hand in a kiss.

"Morning breath," she grunted in explanation, rolling off the bed and trudging into the adjoining bathroom.

After freshening up and brushing her teeth, Bella danced back into the bedroom, her eyes bright. With a simple pair of cotton panties and a tank top on, Jasper could really tell the difference in her weight; her hips had widened, her breasts becoming fuller. It was amazingly sexy. He was guilty of overindulging her when it came to the food-or rather anything-she wanted. After moving fully into their apartment, Bella had become lazy, tuckered out from all the constant hours in the car; for days on end, the only way Jasper got her out of bed was by telling her she smelled and reminding her that she, too, told him that he smelled early on in their relationship.

Jasper walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her softly, the mint toothpaste obstructing her naturally sweet taste; he pouted softly into her mouth, pulling back a tad.

"Your mouth tastes weird," he said, making a face.

Bella laughed, tilting her head back, then flicked his nose. Pretending to be surprised for her sake, Jasper crossed his eyes, looking at his nose with wide eyes. His eyes refocused on her, and he grinned freely.

"Hey, guess what," Bella sang as she danced past him, dancing her finger across his chest.

With a large smile, he followed after her. "What?"

"I love you," Bella said simply, hopping up onto the counter and crossing her legs lazily, leaning back on her elbows.

"Hey guess what," he mirrored her, leaning against the counter with a grin.

"What?" Bella played along.

Jasper smiled tenderly at her and gripped her waist, pulling her gently from the counter and spinning her about. "I love you too." He punctuated his statement with a gentle kiss to her lips. Bella smiled into their gentle kiss and hopped off the counter, putting a finger to his chest.

"Make me breakfast?" she requested, pressing her lips to his wrist gently and walking over to the bookshelf that housed their iPod dock. Jasper's was currently plugged in, so Bella skimmed through the songs.

"Oh, ho ho, Jasper!" Bella exclaimed, looking over her shoulder at him, a smirk on her lips.

Jasper, who was getting out a skillet, looked at her inquisitively. "What?" he asked.

Bella smirked softly and tapped once on the screen of the music player before the opening bars of _Hot Blooded_ began playing loudly through the speakers. Jasper laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"How could you _not_ tell me about this?" Bella asked, playing air guitar enthusiastically. When Jasper didn't join her before the beginning lyrics, Bella settled on belting out the lyrics loudly, over the music. "Check it and see! I've got a fever of 103. Well, come on baby do you do more than dance?" As she sang, she danced over to him, taking his hands and going back to the living room with him in just enough time for the second verse.

"You don't have to read my mind to know what I have in mind," Jasper sang out dramatically, dancing with her. Bella tossed her head back and laughed, letting him spin her. As Jasper began to take the solo for the verse, Bella settled on bobbing her head, moon walking badly across the wood floor, and playing air drums.

Jasper slid over to her, gripping her waist as he halted in front of her, spinning her about and mock-tangoing with her whilst he sang. "I wanna know what you're doin' after the show."

"Now it's up to you. We can make a secret rendezvous. Just me and you. I'll show you loving like you never knew!" they sang out together, making up their own dance moves as they went, moving along with the beat of the chorus. Bella ended up sliding into the coffee table and falling backwards. Jasper zipped over to her, helping the laughing human to her feet. By the time she stopped laughing, tears were streaming from her eyes. Jasper grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, scooping her up into his arms, then placing her on the counter. He kissed her softly for a while, but Bella pushed their kiss further, wrapping her legs around his hips and pulling him close. Over the past two weeks, their kisses had been quite similar to their current one; Bella was getting rather impatient.

Jasper's lips skimmed down her throat. He scraped his teeth gently over the skin there, enough to send her a sharp jolt of surprise, but not enough to hurt her. A soft moan tumbled from Bella's lips, and a wave of lust washed over Jasper that was not his own, taking him pleasantly off guard, and she tightened her fingers in his silky locks. Deciding to continue on this path, Jasper scraped his teeth against her neck again, eliciting another, louder moan from Bella, and the intoxicating scent of her arousal permeated the air.

Jasper smirked, then moved his lips from her neck for a moment to look her in the eyes; his eyes glinted softly, lowering in hue until they burned a dark gold, dancing on the line of being black.

"_Now_ I'll make you food," he said, kissing the tip of her nose.

Bella beamed at him, crossing her legs and watching him...well, watching his ass. Damn, he had a nice ass. Jasper threw a look over his shoulder, a smirk on his lips. Bella just shrugged her shoulders; she knew that he was aware of the lust brewing about inside her, that she thought he was attractive, that she wanted him badly. Before, she would have blushed and denied it until her last breath, but things with her and Jasper were different. They knew each other through and through, down to the last scar, the last freckle.

Moreover, they were open and honest with each other; there was no reason for secrets. Jasper grinned at her and wiggled his hips for her. Bella rolled her eyes, leaning forward, resting her head in her hands, watching him as he worked about the kitchen, the smells of bacon and eggs hitting her nose teasingly. Unable to help herself, she hopped softly to her feet, walking up behind Jasper and wrapping her arms around him from behind, splaying her fingers across his abdomen; after a few moments, she tugged his shirt upwards and over his head, running her fingers over his icy skin with a soft shudder.

"If you keep this up, darlin', I'm never going to get this finished."

Bella skimmed her lips across his shoulder blades. "I thought you were a soldier, Jasper," she purred, biting her nails softly into his frigid, stone-like skin. At the tone of her voice, his dick instantly swelled, and he stiffened, nodding his head once, waiting for her to continue. "Don't soldiers have _impeccable_" -she ran her nail down his side, earning her a shudder- "control. Especially a good _southern _gentleman." Her teeth ran softly along his neck, her tongue darting out to lick a crevice in between two scars. A low snarl ripped through his teeth; he wanted nothing more to throw her atop the counter and ravish her until she screamed in pleasure. However, his pride was in the way; he needed to prove her wrong.

"Show me that control _Major_." Oh, fuck. His dick was impossibly hard, but his pride was butting heads harshly with the lust inside him. Of coarse, his pride won, and he steeled himself, widening his stance slightly and continuing to cook her breakfast. "Mmm," Bella purred into his ear, her fingers dancing along the smooth cut 'v' that disappeared into his pajama pants. Jasper's jaw set, and he continued working on her breakfast dutifully and somewhat emotionlessly. Bella smirked softly, pressing her lips to his shoulder blade, and dipped her hands softly into his pants, cupping him softly in both of her hands. Jasper let out a low growl and rocked his hips into hers unconsciously, flipping her bacon, his fingers curling around the spatula dangerously, bending the plastic.

"Fuck, Bella," he said lowly.

Bella purred quietly into his ear, "Control, Major. Don't disappoint me."

She bit his ear shell gently, wrapping her slender fingers around his shaft and giving him a soft pump. Jasper didn't move; he was only very stiff while he went about finishing her breakfast quickly and throwing it on a plate before turning swiftly to her, his eyes raging with lust. Bella smirked up at him and ducked under him, taking her breakfast plate and moving to sit at the counter, smirking at him; she picked up the fork, cutting her eggs with the side of it, taking her sweet time.

With a smirk equal to hers, he walked up behind her and picked her up softly, replacing her seat with his lap. Bella leaned her back against his chest, spreading her legs ever so slightly as she ate; she could feel his erection under her very clearly, and she swiveled and circled her hips, creating a delicious kind of friction over the throbbing appendage. Jasper growled through his teeth, running his sharp teeth very softly over her delicate neck.

"Such a tease, Miss Swan," he purred in return to her previous teasing. His hand, like hers had a bit earlier, rested on her abdomen; his fingers teased under her shirt, his fingers dancing along the flat plane of her stomach. Bella gasped softly as she felt his freezing fingers on her naked, warm flesh, but soon relaxed under his touch. "Calling me Major. Do you know how long it's been since someone has called me that?" His voice was low and husky in her ear, his fingers teasing her peaks that hardened instantly under his cool touch. A soft moan tumbled from Bella's lips, her eyes lulling closed slowly as he stroked her; his hands skimmed lower so he could cup her breasts, now slightly heavier than they had been months ago.

Bella rolled her hips back into his. "Major Jasper Whitlock," she purred in her best southern accent which Jasper found was quite impressive. The time she spend with him must have worked on her voice inflection. Bella flipped around, ignoring her breakfast, and straddled his hips, pressing her clothed center to the hard bulge in his pajama pants.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked her, smirking softly as he looked up at her.

Her fingers skimmed over his chest, her nails raking gently along his skin, a soft smile on her lips as she leaned close to him, her breath caressing his face; it still smelled of mint because she hadn't eaten any of her breakfast. For a moment, he felt bad, but the next words out of her mouth seriously changed his mind. "Do you want me, Jasper?" she asked him, her eyes hooded as she looked at him.

"God, yes," he said horsely, gripping her hips softly and rocking his hips up into hers.

"How do you want me?" she purred softly, teasing her shirt upwards, exposing her luscious hips.

"Any way that would bring you pleasure," he replied with a soft groan, watching her shirt rise. When he finished the word pleasure, the tank top was thrown across the room. Jasper grinned softly up at her and cupped her breasts gently with his hands, weighing them lightly and teasing her peaks. Her back arched softly, responsively under his touch.

"Yeah?" Bella breathed softly, biting her lip, tingles running down her spine

"Yes, darlin'," Jasper purred with a soft smirk, ducking his head to ghost his lips over the swells of both her breasts, slipping his hands down to grip her hips tenderly. His lips locked around the hardened tip on her left breast, his tongue running softly along the diameter, hardening it further.

"God, Jas," Bella said, her breathing faltering and her heartbeat speeding. The venom from his tongue left a tingling, fresh feeling wherever it touched like fresh, cold rain, but infinitely better. God, so much better.

"What, kitten?" he teased her, looking up at her as he applied a perfect amount of suction to her breasts to pull a loud moan from her lips. "You have to tell me what you like, what feels good." Ever so gently, he bit her breast.

Bella's lips fell open, her eyes popping open, a gasp pulling through her lips. "Oh! That, baby. That feels so good." She rocked her hips into him, her wetness soaking through her panties easily.

Jasper repeated this action, earning a low, husky moan from his mate. One of the hands that was her hips slipped softly down, resting the heel of his hand just under her belly button and his fingers splaying across her cotton panties. "God, kitten, you're so fuckin' gorgeous. Did you know that?" he asked her huskily, his drawl deepening with his lust, repeating the desired action. Bella ducked her head down and captured his bottom lip between hers, biting it gently and sucking on it. Jasper groaned lowly into her mouth, letting her dominate the kiss for a while before his tongue slipped into her mouth, their kiss rising in passion. Bella's fingers raked through his hair, then tangled into his long locks; she loved that she could hold onto his hair soundly as she kissed him. It was so hot. She tugged at his hair softly, earning her a low moan from Jasper.

Jasper moved his lips from hers to kiss down her jaw; his lips formed a soft smirk as they paused on her pulse point, sucking gently on the skin there, and he grinned softly, lifting his lips back up to catch her bottom lip between his teeth, tightening down ever so slightly, watching her face, monitoring her emotions. There was a tad of pain, but it was greatly over shadowed by the lust brewing about her emotional pool. Jasper loosened his grip on her lip. A small shiver ran down her spine. He got to his feet with her and they made their way to the bedroom.

Once they were in the bedroom, he softly tossed her on the bed and hovered above her. Instantly, she rolled them over and sat up, yanking the hair tie out of her locks and letting them flow down her back; he sat up with her, going to kiss her, but she swung her leg over his waist, then situated herself straddling him.

Jasper groaned softly, feeling the heat and wetness coming from her center through her panties on his stomach. God, he wanted her so badly. A light smirk twitched at Bella's lips as she nipped his bottom lip softly, eliciting a soft moan from Jasper's mouth. Satisfied with herself, Bella bit his bottom lip again, sucking it lightly into her mouth. She teased his bottom lip with her tongue for a moment before pulling back softly with a smirk, sitting up on his hips, resting her butt on her calves, studying him with a smirk on her lips.

Jasper sat up, his eyes a dark ocher, now; he gripped her waist in his hands, then skimmed them down to her hips, rubbing circles on her hipbones.

Bella smirked down at him and, with the tip of her finger, pushed him back against the mattress with a soft thud. Jasper stared up at her, his eyes dark and hungry with lust. Bella's lips turned up in a slow smile, in turn making Jasper grin; she looked down at him, her eyes glinting with lust. Her smile turned quickly into a smirk as she swiveled her hips backwards, pressing her center against the obvious bulge in Jasper's pants; she bit her bottom lip, innocently looking down at him, her lips twitching in an effort to hide her smirk.

When Jasper didn't move and just stared at her heatedly, she shrugged her shoulder softly and snaked her hands down to the waistband of her panties, hooking her thumbs in them and pushing them down her hips ever so slightly. Jasper watched her fingers and hands move, a slow purr-growl building in his throat. Bella lifted her hips from his, having to move so she was practically laying on top of him to wiggle out of her panties, kicking them off into the depths of the room As she did this, her erect nipples raked across his chest, eliciting a guttural growl from his chest. The vibration of his growl created a kind of soft, blissful friction on Bella's responsive skin, a moan rising in her throat.

As she sat back up, with no hesitancy, Jasper snaked his fingers forward, gripping her waist. His hands skimmed up and cupped her breasts, sending stunning tingles of pleasure right down to her core. Bella let her head fall back with a low moan; Jasper closed his eyes for a moment, listening to her heart hammer. With quick precision, he flipped them over, holding himself between her legs which spread softly to accommodate him. Bella giggled softly as she was jostled, but the childish sound soon turned into a husky moan as Jasper's lips moved over the swells of her breasts, his tongue darting out to taste her skin again. While one hand held himself up over her, his other traveled down to her hip, rubbing soft circles on the skin there.

"Fuck, Whitlock," Bella breathed, raking her fingers roughly down his chest. In response to her touch, his muscles rippled softly in movement.

Bella tilted her head up, an amazed and bemused smile on her lips, her eyes twinkling softly as she gazed at him. Jasper looked at her in equal amazement; she was such a beautiful creature. A soft giggle from Bella's mouth echoed around the room, in turn making Jasper grin and bury his face gently in her neck, sucking and licking at her skin. Bella raked her fingers through his hair roughly, tugging at the honey locks, earning her a low growl; his sharp teeth flickered against her pulse point, sending her heart into a further frenzy than it was already in.

Slowly but surely, Jasper moved his lips to her breasts, nuzzling her sternum before placing kisses to either side, buying himself some time so he could choose which of her soft breasts he wanted to taste first. He went for the left, placing his lips over her hammering heart, sucking softly on her skin, earning him soft, breathy moans and a wild heartbeat. Glancing up for just a moment, he caught Bella's eye and his glinted in a smirk as he shifted his lips down to take her peak in his cool mouth, her eyes fluttering closed; her fingers tightened in his hair, tugging, encouraging him to go on which complied with, moans coming from Bella's lips as he applied suction and nipped at her sensitive skin.

Bella grabbed at his hips, the material there, pushing it impatiently down his hips. Jasper smiled softly into her skin, moving to kiss her hard as his pajama pants and boxers were discarded. While one of his hands gripped her hip, one of his hands was wrapped in her luscious locks. He leaned back for a moment, looking down at the woman he loved, his mate, her locks fanned out across the pillow, her eyes dark and lustful, her cheeks flushed, her lips plump and swollen from their ardent kissing earlier. God, he wanted her so bad. Bella's fingers wrapping around his shoulders and giving them a gently squeeze.

"I love you," she said quietly, tilting her head in such a way to look him in the eyes. In that moment, Jasper's entire life flashed before his eyes, the things he'd done, the things he hadn't. For the first time, looking into the eyes of this human, his mate, he felt that he _was _loved, that he _was _all right, that he _wasn't_ the monster that he had thought he was for the biggest part of his life. He felt...himself, he felt human.

Jasper leaned down and gave her a soft, gentle kiss, pushing to her all of the love that was brewing inside of him. Bella gasped quietly into his lips, the immense amounts of love hitting her square in the center of her being, in her soul. Her eyes lulled closed and she basked in the pure feeling for a few moments before pushing her hips up to him softly, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Show me," she requested softly, looking up at him with her wide brown eyes.

Jasper shifted his hips so that the tip of him was pressed against her wet center; a shudder rolled down his spine, and Bella moaned, her eyes closing softly. He was so cold, deliciously cold. Slowly, he pushed into her. At first, she didn't feel anything but an overwhelming sense of pleasure, but Jasper still watched her face carefully for any signs of pain.

A smile formed at her lips as she went to tell him she was all right, but she felt it, then. She loved and hated the sensation at the same time. Yes, it hurt, yes it was uncomfortable, but it was Jasper and he was finally inside her. She hated that any pain had to disrupt this moment, but she knew it was inevitable. Jasper stilled instantly, seeing the tightness in her eyes, watching her carefully; it took all of his control to be able to keep still. She felt so good, so wet, so _hot_. It was...indescribable. Bella opened the eyes she hadn't realized she'd closed and looked at him; the pain was subsiding, and she knew that Jasper had something to do with that. She smiled gently at him, reaching up to touch his face.

"Thank you," she murmured almost silently.

"Are you okay, kitten?" he asked in a deliciously low voice.

Bella smirked ever so slightly up at him, rolling her hips experimentally into his, earning her a moan from Jasper's full lips. With a smile of victory, she kissed him hard. While their kiss progressed, Jasper pushed into her fully, further engulfing himself in her wet heat; every slow inch was a delicious torture, but he knew he had to go slowly. Bella's back arched and she cried out softly.

"Are you okay, kitten?" Jasper asked again, stopping again and looking into her eyes with burning onyx eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just…" She gyrated her hips softly. "Shit," she cursed under her breath at the pleasure that shocked through her. "Keep going."

Jasper relaxed fully at her words; she was all right, she wanted more. _Finally._ A low moan left his lips as he pulled his hips from hers just to thrust them forward once again. Bella was still impatient; it wasn't enough. He was too slow. As though they had a telepathic connection, Jasper's thrusts picked up speed ever so slightly. Bella's back arched gracefully; she was completely unaware of anything, of anyone other than Jasper and the pleasure he was bringing her and the love that was burning into her; she wasn't even aware of the ardent sounds that left her lips, the ones that were driving Jasper absolutely crazy.

In her passionate haze, she threw her legs around his hips, locking her ankles and resting her heels on his lower back.

"Oh, god, Bella," he groaned lowly, feeling how much deeper he could go into her now at this new angle. His hips hit against hers, the internal fires in both of them building; Bella rolled her hips into his, pushing him deeper into her.

"Oh, fuck!" Bella gasped out. He reared back to thrust into her again, harder than before.

"Oh!" she gasped with each thrust. "Fuck, Jasper." Her back arched, her hands gripping his shoulders. Hearing the pleasure in her voce when she said his name, he picked up his pace ever so slightly. Her nails bit into his shoulders, raking down his back. Over her panting and moans, Bella could hear the sounds that Jasper was making. Soft grunts, low moans of her name, heavy pants.

Fuck, it was so hot. She rolled her hips down into his, meeting his thrust and he growled quietly. It pit of her stomach was tightening with each thrust, with each moan that came out of her mouth. The pleasure was blistering, and she writhed under it. He was gazing down at her through heavy, lust-laden lids, his eyes a dark onyx with lust. His jaw was slack with the intensity of his pleasure. He was so beautiful, surreal in his pleasure. His eyes lulled closed, the jolts of his hips against hers starting to become erratic. She knew he was close, and she was, too.

"Jasper!" she cried out, her legs tightening around his hips.

"Bella," he groaned, his voice husky, like whiskey and honey...and a southern accent.

"Oh! Fuck. Jas, I'm so close," Bella moaned out, raking her nails again down his back.

Jasper's eyes popped open and he stared down at her with an intense gaze. "Look at me," he commanded in that whiskey and honey voice that made her tingle. Unable to help herself, Bella flashed her eyes open, staring into Jasper's onyx eyes intently, soft gasps coming in and out of her mouth as his hips jolted against her. For a split second, his eyes closed; Bella knew that he was just as close to succumbing to the pleasure as she was. Oh, god, she was so close; it was like she was dancing on the edge of a cliff, taunting herself. His eyes flashed back open. "Cum for me, Bella," he growled, his voice gravelly and tight from the pleasure.

The second the words had left his lips, she slipped into the pleasure. She had no conscious knowledge of what sounds were leaving her mouth; she only knew pleasure. Pleasure that started at her hips and spread upwards, receded, then started again. It was blissful, it was hot, it was joyous, it was a relief, it was _right._

Somewhere in her timeless land of pleasure, she heard Jasper's loud growl, letting her know that he, too, was in a pleasure paradise something like hers. She hoped it was the same, or maybe even better. As the waves of pleasure died down, she was aware of Jasper's face tucked softly into her neck, of gentle kisses being peppered on her neck. They stayed this way for a while before he rolled lazily to her side, smiling blissfully at her, then pulled her atop him with a satisfied grunt. Silently, she lazily stretched herself across his cool frame, resting her cheek on his chest and gazing up at him with wise brown eyes.

"I love you," she reminded him with a quiet yawn.

Jasper grinned softly; though it seemed off, Bella said nothing. "Sleep, kitten," he said quietly.

Bella smiled blissfully and fell into a deep sleep.

When she was fully asleep, Jasper quickly maneuvered himself out from under her, completely in a panic. He had to get away. He threw on his pants and sprinted out the door, using his enhanced vampire speed to get out of the apartment quickly as he could. However, as soon as he got out of the apartment, he had to slow down because of the humanity of the population; he sped up to a quick jog, holding his breath the entire time, trying not to let the humans affect him. He didn't think that being with Bella would affect him in this way; his animalistic side had emerged and he was _so fucking thirsty_. It felt as though his throat was ripping its way out of his body. God, it was terrible. When he reached the outskirts of town, he finally allowed himself to breathe. Unfortunately, there happened to be a young girl only a half of a mile away. The poor girl had no chance.

Jasper looked up from the girl's limp body, dropping it like it had burned his skin. With blood running from his lips, he had no other choice than to run. Any kind of humanness he had felt with Bella was completely gone. God, he thought he was going to be sick.

Vaguely, he remembered a promise he'd made himself, one to never leave her. God, he was a monster.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

***comes out from hiding* *half-heartedly* What's up fuckers? **

***coughs* So...uhm...that has been up my sleeve the entire time, the whole last part. *****shifts* I...uhm...don't eat me?**

**I'm not sure what kind of reaction this is going to get, but I'm hoping it's...positive? This is in no way going to affect the outcome of this story. It will always be Bella/Jasper, so that's nothing that's going to throw you off. **

**Oh, right, I have something to tell you.**

**There will be a vampire-baby PREGNANCY. Whether there will be a baby, well, that's for me to know and you to keep reading to find out. :3 *****twirls moustache and laughs evilly***

**-Claire**


	19. Never Gonna Be Alone

**So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know**

**You're never gonna be alone**

**From this moment on**

**If you ever feel like letting go**

**I won't let you fall**

**You're never gonna be alone**

**…**

Bella awoke the next morning with a lazy smile on her lips. As she rolled over, her legs got tangled up in the sheets, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She raised her arms above her head and arched her back in a lazy stretch; she sat up and looked around. Jasper wasn't anywhere to be found. She grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her; she padded into the kitchen, letting loose a large yawn and running her fingers through her hair. Shockingly to her, didn't find Jasper there either; her lips turned down in a frown.

"Jasper?" she called out, expecting to see him in front of her mere milliseconds after she'd called his name, but he did not come. She frowned deeply and wrapped her arms around herself, looking around for him. Assuming he went to hunt or went out to the store for food, she looked all about the apartment in search of a note telling her that he'd left to do so. She found no such thing.

_No_, she thought, _there's no way that Jasper left me. He knew exactly how I felt when Edward left. He would never do that to me. He just had to pop out for hunting or went to get me some food._

Four hours passed, and she sat on the couch, waiting for him to return. Everything hurt. Not just physically from the use her muscles got last night, but her entire _being_ ached, yearned for her other half. It was making her sick. She had done something to anger him; she must have been terrible last night. Memories of his off-balance smile flashed behind her eyes. _He wasn't happy_. She got to her feet and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels out of the cabinet. Without a glass, she returned to the couch and tucked in.

**xxx**

Jasper was running, still running. He felt nothing but agony, self-loathing, and guilt as he ran. Each time his feet hit the ground, these feelings increased and his stomach churned sickeningly.

**xxx**

Four more hours passed, and she stayed in her position on the couch, the sun sinking down slowly, staining the sky gorgeous, rich colors.

He lied. Adam lied. Marcus lied. Everyone lied. They weren't mates. If they were, he would never have left. He was just as bad as Edward. No, he was much worse. He told her everything, he made love to her, he told her that he loved her every day, he was her best friend. Even if they weren't mates he could at least have the decency as her _best _fucking _friend _to tell her. The anger boiling inside of her let out of her body in a loud scream as she threw the long empty bottle at the wall.

She sat there for a few moments, pain and anger stewing through her before she broke down crying. Her head fell heavily into her hands and sobs tore up her throat. He was gone. Not again. _Please_, she begged internally, _not again. Please let this be a dream. I can't go through this again. _She fell asleep with these thoughts in her head.

When she rose the next morning, she got to her feet, wavering slightly. Upon inspection of the clock, she learned it was one o'clock in the afternoon the next day. She stared at the floor, completely numb, holding the sheets to her; she'd slept through her hangover, so she couldn't bitch about that. Well, maybe she could; though the headache portion of her hangover blissfully wasn't there, the nausea was.

She sprinted to the bathroom and heaved up the contents of her stomach-which wasn't much. For an immeasurable amount of time, she laid on the cool tile of the bathroom, not sure what to do. Her phone rang, though, somewhere in her stupor, and she dove for it, hoping desperately that it was Jasper. She swiped her finger across the screen hurriedly.

"Jasper?" she questioned hopefully.

"Bella," came Carlisle's voice from the other end of the line.

Bella sighed and laid back on the couch, throwing her arm over her eyes to block out the light. "Hi, Carlisle," she said half-heartedly.

"Are you all right, dear?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she said a bit harsher than intended. She sighed again. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I just called to wish you a happy birthday. We all wish you were home again."

"I'm already home," Bella mumbled to herself, getting to her feet and walking into her room. She supposed she should get somewhat decent.

Carlisle sighed gently. "Well, then in Forks," he amended, hoping to appease her. After a while of searching, she concluded that the only thing she had enough energy to pick out was a pair of panties and a bra.

"Yeah," Bella muttered to herself, walking to the fridge and grabbing some food.

"Can I speak to Jasper?" Carlisle questioned.

"Not here," Bella grunted, abruptly ending the call. Tears brewed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She fell back down on the couch, curling up on her side in the fetal position. She wished for the numbness, craved it. When she had been left before, the numbness was the only thing that had helped. Now, though, all she felt was just _pain_. In her short life, she'd experienced pain. The losses of family, scraped knees, broken bones, the ballet studio, her eighteenth birthday party, when Edward had left, Jacob's cutting words. Nothing, _nothing_ compared to this. Every single atom in her body ached, screamed in pain.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

**xxx**

Unable to help himself, Jasper collapsed on the ground in the middle of some field; he had no idea how long he'd been running, nor where he was. All he knew was everything hurt. He laid there for...god, he had no idea, but eventually, his phone rang. His head snapped toward the pocket that held the ringing. What the fuck? He had no idea that he had his phone. He slowly took out the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked hesitantly.

"I've tried to call you at least twenty times, you ass fuck." Rosalie.

Normally Jasper would have laughed or had some kind of reaction, but not this time. "What do you want?" he asked in a deadpan. He felt dead inside, and his voice reflected that.

"Get your fucking ass back to Bella," Rosalie said fiercely. "I get that you killed another human-Yeah, Alice told me-but you can't just ditch her. Even though I used to hate her, y'know, she's not a bad person. For fucks sake, be a better person than Edward. Don't leave her again. Just, go back to her."

Jasper ran his fingers through his hair. "I'll hurt her."

"You didn't last time, did you?"

"No, but-"

"No fucking buts. Get your ass up and go back to her."

"Rose, I can't-"

"I said 'get your ass up and go back to her'," Rosalie spat out between her teeth. Robotically, Jasper got to his feet. "Good boy," she approved with a small smirk. "Now, go back to her. Call me." With that, she hung up the phone. For a while, Jasper stared just blankly ahead before starting to run-faster than before-back to Bella.

Fuck, what had he done? God, he was so fucking stupid!

**xxx**

Two days later

Suddenly, the door banged open and a very disheveled looking Jasper stood in the doorway, looking wildly about. His eyes fell on a sleeping Bella who hadn't woken with his loud entrance. With a heavy heart, he walked over to her, getting to his knees in front of her, stroking her face gently

"Bella," Jasper whispered softly, stroking her supple skin, looking at her with wide, tear-filled eyes.

At the sound of his voice, her eyes snapped open and she looked down at him. For a while, her brown eyes were very foggy, very confused, her mind warped from the sleep she'd been in. Slowly, she reached her hand down, fingers shaking, and touched his cheek quietly, affirming that it was, indeed, Jasper. She slipped off the couch, sinking to her knees in front of him, staring him in his eyes, trying to register what was going on. Was him being gone just a dream? No, it couldn't have been a dream. It had been days…

"Jasper," she said, her voice cracking ever so slightly from underuse.

Jasper's red eyes were hesitant as he looked at her, trying to get ahold of her emotional climate; it was all over the place, bouncing so rapidly between emotions, he couldn't identify them quick enough.

"Yeah, kitten." His red eyes studied her face, searching for forgiveness that he didn't deserve.

"You...you were gone," Bella said, her brows furrowing slightly. Jasper's head dropped to his chest and he nodded ever so slightly. Bella ran her fingers through his hair, lowering it softly to cup his cheek softly with her hand. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked quietly, dropping her hands to her lap.

Jasper's red eyes widened in horror and he took her face in his hands, staring her in the eye as he spoke. "Kitten, you did _nothing_ wrong. I just…I didn't have as much control as I thought I did, and I had to hunt. I was trying to make it out of Boston, and I did, I really did, but there was this girl and…" He lowered her eyes to the floor in shame.

Bella cupped his face softly in her hands, raising it gently to look in his eyes. "Hey, hey, hey," she said quietly, "look at me." Jasper reluctantly into her eyes, his red eyes guilty. "It's okay." She stroked his jaw ever so gently. "I understand." She kissed his lips tenderly.

Jasper shook his head softly. "I killed a girl, Bella. _Again._ How can you be all right with that?"

Bella stroked his cheeks softly. "Jasper," she said, directing his attention back up to her. "I'm not the Cullens, you know that. You can't expect me to react like them. We've been through this once already, Jasper. They didn't help you. Who did?"

Jasper bit his lip. "You did," he mumbled.

"Exactly. _I _did. They didn't help you, nor _could_ they. You don't trust me enough to let me help you?" Bella whispered, clearly hurt. Her wide brown eyes were pooling with tears. Jasper's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak but she didn't let him. "You can't just do this, Jasper. You can't just pick up and leave when you think I won't accept you or I'll be angry at you. I will _always_ be there for you, I will _always_ accept you, no matter what happens. Yes, I may be angry with you from time to time, but if you leave every time you're not sure, we...we can't do this."

Jasper stared at her in horror, bile rising in his throat. "Bella-" Bella rose her hand to halt his speech, which he complied with.

"I thought we were mates."

"We are, Bella, we _are_," Jasper said in a rush, his eyes huge.

"From what I can tell, mates aren't a situational thing; from what I can tell, it's a full-time deal. I didn't think that mates were supposed to run from each other. I trust you, Jasper. I know that you'll always be there for me. I know that you'll always love me no matter what I do. Why don't you realize that this is two-sided? I will always be there for you, I will always love you, _no matter what_." She leaned close to him, cupping his face tenderly in her hands, her eyes wide, trying to understand.

Jasper's eyes welled with tears as well, kissing her lips gently. "Kitten, I'm so sorry. You're right. I just...I've lived that way for so long. Accidents in my life before us, before you, were bad things, terrible things. Before the Cullens, accidents got you killed. With the Cullens, they lost you respect and gained you a personal body guard 24/7. Any kind of accident meant you were weak, that you weren't worthy. I just...I have to get used to the idea that someone is going to love me no matter what kind if mistakes I make." If it were possible, Jasper would be broken down in tears, but since it wasn't, he only waited for her answer.

Bella smiled slightly, softly, and kissed him softly. "It's a good thing we have time," she said softly, closing her eyes as she kissed him tenderly.

Jasper smiled softly into her lips. "I love you," he mumbled into her lips.

"Promise me you won't leave me again," Bella said, leaning back and looking into his eyes.

Jasper stroked her cheeks tenderly. "I promise," he vowed, kissing her gently.

Bella's eyes lit up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again. Before their kiss could go much further, Jasper pulled away and fished into his pockets. A small black box was produced from said pocket. Bella's eyes widened comically, and Jasper couldn't help but laugh.

"Jasper, what are you-" Bella started in a panic.

Jasper put a finger to her lips. "Shh, kitten. Let me talk." He removed his finger when he thought that she couldn't speak when he did so.

Bella's eyes twinkled as she watched him pop the lid of the box open softly. In the center, a mid-sized diamond sat among a circular bed of other diamonds. On either side of the diamonds, set in the platinum band, were seven circular diamonds. The gorgeous ring shimmered beautifully in the light coming from the window. Jasper grinned at her broadly, his teeth shimmering in a similar way to the ring.

"I want to marry you one day, but I know you're not too keen on the idea, so this isn't my proposal. This is my promise," Jasper said, taking her left hand in his. "that you're never going to be alone. From this moment on, it's me and you, kitten. Nothing is going to separate us, least of all us. No more running, no matter how bad it gets." -he slipped the ring on her finger gently- "This is also a reminder to both of us that you, Isabella Marie Swan, will one day be Isabella Marie Whitlock, my wife." Jasper looked her in the eye, waiting for her reaction. With a tender smile, Bella cupped his face gently in her hands and kissed him.

"I'll hold you to that."

Jasper hugged her tight, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. "I love you so much," he murmured.

"Bella Whitlock," mused the human after their kiss ceased.

"I like the sound of that," they said in stereo. They both snapped their heads to look at the other, both of them dissolving into laughter.

Yes, they were going to be just fine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What's up fuckers?**

**It's almost like it's the old Claire again, updating a lot. So, umm, the only reason that this wasn't in the last chapter was because the last chapter was longer than fucking hell already...and I wanted to get the chapter last night out. *le shrug* **

**A huge-ass Major Whitlock lovin' goes out to NatalieLynn for instigating the little chat that Bella and Jasper had about being mates. You all should fuckin' worship the ground she walks on. Had I not read her review, then this chapter probably wouldn't be out right now. It gave me so much inspo it's crazy. **

**So, next chapter should hopefully be up by-at the latest-Friday. I'm so happy to get to this point in this story because i've been waiting for this for _forever _so I'll be poppin chapters out like a mofo. :3 anyways, yeah.**

**-Claire**


	20. ANNOUNCEMENT

**Hello, all. I have returned from my far too long absence. This year has been quite hectic for me. Well, I've just came on to tell you that I will be re-writing _Angels Show Up In the Strangest of Places. _I've recently re-read it, and I am not happy at all with how it has gone. I hope that you all will stick with me. Summer is coming up in a few months, and I'll have loads of free time on my hands. I hope to see you all soon. I've really missed my stories.**

- Claire


	21. REWRITE POSTED

All right, you guys.

The first chapter of the rewrite of this story is up. Soon, I will be deleting this story.

If you go to my profile, it will be under my stories as:** Angels Show Up In the Strangest of Places: Rewrite**

As I've approached the story in a different way, the title will be changed. **There is a poll on my profile.**

_-Claire_


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